The City of Phoenix is naming a new transit center, currently being built at Metrocenter, for former District 1 City Council Member and Mayor Thelda Williams. The transit center will be located under the elevated light rail station – currently under construction – as part of the Northwest Light Rail Extension Phase II (NWEII) project.
Former Councilmember Williams served on the Phoenix City Council since 1989 – more than 30 years – and is the only person to have been named mayor three different times. She also served as Vice Mayor, chair of the Transportation Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee, and chair of the Valley Metro Rail board.
“I am very excited to name the transit center at Metrocenter after Thelda Williams, a Phoenix leader who, among many other accomplishments, championed transit initiatives in our city. The Metrocenter transit center will connect more parts of our city and unlock new opportunities for our residents. We couldn’t have gotten here without Councilwoman Williams’ advocacy, and I’m looking forward to the future unveiling of the finished project with her name on it,” said Mayor Gallego.
Williams has been a strong proponent of Phoenix’s voter-approved transportation plan – Transportation 2050 – which helps fund various key projects throughout the city through the year 2050. She played a key role in the City moving forward with the planning and construction of light rail, bus service expansion, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s expansion and operations and in the preservation of water resources and many street and other infrastructure projects.
“Councilmember Williams served on many committees, boards and associations and always has done so with grace,” says Councilmember and Chair of the Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority board Laura Pastor. “The naming of this transit center symbolizes the way that she has touched so many residents in positive ways.”
The naming of the transit center is also in honor of Williams’ decades of public service and her commitment to taking care of the City of Phoenix by focusing on public infrastructure and economic development investments.
“We know that Councilmember Williams holds much experience and history when it comes to the way things have progressed here at the City of Phoenix,” adds current Councilmember Ann O’Brien. “The naming of this transit center is very fitting as Councilmember Williams has always represented the City well and led by example by listening, asking questions and keeping her word.”
The Phoenix Public Transit Department provides Phoenix residents a variety of transit options and is the largest member of the Valley Metro regional transit system. Services range from local and commuter buses to alternative transportation for senior citizens and special needs. The City of Phoenix funds transit, and other transportation improvements, through Transportation 2050 (T2050) – a local sales tax approved by Phoenix voters in 2015 – as well as county and federal funds.