Connected KC 2050 map
Environmental Justice analysis
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) defines environmental justice (EJ) as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, national origin, or educational level with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.
Environmental justice plays an important role in transportation planning and visioning. Transportation projects have long-lasting physical impacts on communities, and it is critical to incorporate fairness and equity into the development of transportation policies and funding decisions. No group of people — by race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status — should receive unfair treatment or bear a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences as a result of decisions made at the federal, state, regional or local levels.
The following map shows environmental justice areas — concentrations of people of color and/or people with low-incomes — along with the financially-constrained projects in the Connected KC 2050 Plan. Additional data can be turned on, including population density for:
- People of color
- People with low-incomes
- People with a disability
- Older adults (65+)
- Veterans
- People who use transit to get to work
- Households with no vehicle
Existing transportation facilities
The Kansas City region has a wealth of existing transportation facilities, infrastructure and services that residents and visitors use to accomplish tasks in their daily lives. Roads, bridges, transit service, bikeways and trails, and transportation management technology all contribute to how we move around the region. Use the map below to explore the existing transportation facilities.
Federal requirements
Connected KC 2050 serves as a blueprint for managing the region’s transportation system. Required by the federal government under 23 CFR §450.322, this plan identifies transportation improvements for the next 30 years.
As the metropolitan planning agency for the Kansas City region, the Mid-America Regional Council is required to update the regional transportation plan every five years. Connected KC 2050 addresses various federal requirements and planning factors, which are described in more detail in these documents.
Financial capacity
Federal regulations require Connected KC 2050 to include a financial analysis that demonstrates how the plan can be implemented. The plan lists resources from public and private sources that are reasonably expected to be available to carry out the plan and recommends additional financing strategies for needed projects and programs.
Connected KC 2050 is financially constrained based on estimates of available revenues and anticipated costs as described below. As these estimates are refined for future programming activities, adjustments will be made to the plan as needed.
The financial plan considers all projects and strategies proposed for funding by federal, state, local and private resources. Revenue and cost estimates that support the plan incorporate growth rates that reflect year-of-expenditure dollars based on reasonable financial principles and information that is cooperatively developed by states, transit operators and MARC. Connected KC 2050 includes, by reference, projects and funding sources included in the Transportation Improvement Program. The TIP provides a more specific accounting for the first four years of the plan.
Forecast methodology and results
Freight
Freight movement plays an important role in the quality of our lives. Every item in our grocery stores or our homes are the final product of freight transportation systems. Freight is fundamental to the Kansas City region’s economy. Freight systems are how goods produced by area businesses get to market, both locally and across the country, and how consumer goods and business supplies produced elsewhere get to local end-users. The freight industry itself supports more than 100,000 jobs in the region. The transportation of freight by air, barge, rail and truck is fundamental to the region’s quality of life. Use the map below to explore layers such as the regional freight zones, freight-related companies and infrastructure.
Intercity travel
In addition to daily travel within the region, many Kansas City area residents travel to other regional and national destinations. While the automobile is the most common transportation mode for those traveling from place to place within the region, other modes are often used for intercity travel. Understanding the Kansas City region’s connections to other metropolitan areas by bus, rail, air and automobile will help people make informed decisions about travel options. An efficient transportation network with strong intercity connections helps promote the economic vitality of the region by providing businesses with access to external markets and attracting visitors to the region. Use the map below to explore the cities within a day’s trip to the Kansas City Region.
Performance measures
As a part of MAP-21, and continuing as part of the FAST Act, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) like MARC and State Departments of Transportation are required to establish targets for and monitor progress related to the following national performance goals:
- Safety
- Infrastructure condition
- Congestion reduction
- System reliability
- Freight movement and economic vitality
- Environmental sustainability
- Reduced project delivery delay
This is part of an industrywide effort to make data-driven and data-informed decisions when programming transportation funds. As established in the financial portion of this plan, the Kansas City region like many regions has limited financial resources compared to a large list of projects needed for system maintenance and improvements. As the MPO for the region, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are using federal funds in a way that helps us make progress on these measures as a region. Use the map below to explore layers like bridge condition, pavement condition and travel time reliability.
Programming policy statement
Connected KC 2050 outlines a vision, desired outcomes and strategies for our regional transportation system, and provides direction for the programming process. It is our policy to award sub-allocated federal transportation funding to eligible local projects that advance regional goals, objectives, strategies and actions as articulated in the plan. The programming policy statement provides guidance for our programming activities in 2020 and beyond.
