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With just two years before the global phenomenon comes to Kansas City, Julie Lorenz works on a roadmap for the area's transportation during the event.
Former Kansas Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz will have her foot on the gas putting together a transit plan for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which comes to Kansas City in just two years.
Lorenz is senior adviser for transportation for KC2026, the nonprofit serving as the local organizing committee for the World Cup. Kansas City will host six matches at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium: four group-stage games in June, plus knockout and quarterfinal matches in July.
The World Cup is the largest event Kansas City has ever hosted, and she brings a deep skill set to transportation planning. The 25-year veteran has led transportation studies, plans and projects nationwide. Lorenz is a principal consultant for 1898 & Co., part of Burns & McDonnell, rejoining the company in 2023 after spending four years leading the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Lorenz said she’s thrilled to serve the region for an event that will put it on a worldwide stage.
“This is such a huge opportunity not just to be on the world stage. but also to make some transportation improvements both on the infrastructure side and to strengthen our public transportation system,” she said. “We want to not only provide a great experience for our visitors, but we also want to make sure that things continue to run smoothly for our residents.”
Lorenz has several mandatory tasks to accomplish. FIFA requires free rides for ticket holders from the airport, to the competition site and to Fan Fest. Kansas City also will need to consider options for fans wanting to visit the three regional sites being considered for base camps: the Kansas City Current Training Facility, Sporting Kansas City Training Centre and the University of Kansas.
“A lot of work has already been going on behind the scenes,” Lorenz said. “Now we are starting to move into the more public engagement sort of phase. You’re going to start hearing a lot more about how community members can be engaged, whether they want to be volunteers or whatever.”
The World Cup presents a great opportunity — and challenge — for the region, she said. With only two years left, the planning needs to be realistic. It can’t be a sequential process where one thing gets started before the next thing because there isn’t enough time, she said. Multiple projects must get rolling simultaneously. It will require input from the community.
“We’ve never hosted anything of this scale and duration, but we can learn from other cities and countries that hosted events like this,” Lorenz said. “We’ll be looking for consulting teams to bring best practices from other cities and countries.”
KC2026 put out a request for proposals on June 4, asking consultants to submit ideas for a transportation mobility plan by July 12, with a firm to be selected on July 26 and a contract expected to be awarded on Aug. 16.
Lorenz said she hopes the RFP delivers big thinking that considers how interconnected aspects of the event are and that can take advantage of opportunities around tourism, such as entertainment, food and beverage, and other regional experiences.
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