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Johnson County considers $2 million CMAQ grant for pilot transit connection to KCI ahead of World Cup
Summary
Staff presented a possible acceptance of $2 million in FHWA CMAQ funding with a $600,000 local match to run a transit service connecting KCI to Lenexa City Center and Overland Park Convention Center; the service could run about 260 days at current cost estimates but pace depends on demand and partner participation.
Johnson County Transit staff asked the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 6 to consider accepting $2,000,000 in Federal Highway Administration Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds, administered through the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), to pilot transit service connecting Kansas City International Airport (KCI) with Lenexa City Center and the Overland Park Convention Center.
Josh Powers, county transit director, said the CMAQ award would require a $600,000 local match; that match could come from Johnson County Transit reserves if other partner agencies do not commit. Powers estimated the service as currently scoped would cost about $10,000 per day to operate, which would fund roughly 260 days of service under the federal award and local match, though he said pace and duration would vary with demand—particularly around the 2026 FIFA World Cup—and with additional partner contributions. MARC and staff view the World Cup as an opportunity to catalyze airport transit service; Powers said staff are in discussions with potential partners and aim to secure partner commitments before next week's vote but emphasized the board’s authorization is the prerequisite to proceed.
Commissioners asked several funding- and timing-related questions: whether the $600,000 would be taken from transit reserves if partner commitments are not secured (Powers said yes), the anticipated operational window around the World Cup and associated pre- and post-event activity, and how the county would assess potential revenue offsets if the pilot continues beyond the World Cup. Chair and commissioners indicated support for continuing negotiations and requested staff return with firm partner commitments and additional analysis before the Feb. 13 vote.
