Metro celebrated the grand opening of the new Cross County MetroLink Extension with a Welcome Aboard Weekend featuring special ribbon-cutting ceremonies, a community festival, and two days of free rides.
|
Cheryl and Kim Walton, Glendale, MO bicycled past Metro's grand opening celebration of the Extension on Saturday afternoon. "I love the idea of mass transportation, anything green is great," said Cheryl pointing to her bike.
|
Cross County Extension Opens With Great Fanfare
by Betty Magrath, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), August 26, 2006 - The grand opening celebation of the new Cross County MetroLink Extension on Saturday at the Shrewbury Landsdowne station drew hundreds of enthusiastic residents, local dignitaries and MetoLink officials and staff.
The main event for the Welcome Aboard Weekend featured a MetroLink light rail vehicle cutting through a ribbon to officially open the new stations at Skinker, Big Bend, Forsyth, Clayton, Richmond Heights, Brentwood I-44, Maplewood-Manchester, Sunnen and Shrewbury-Landsdowne I-44.
Prior to the ceremonies at the Shrewbury-Landsdowne station, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley spoke with St. Louis Front Page about the economic impact of the Extension on surrounding communities.
"Mass transit is always an important part in any large metropolitan area," stated Dooley. "It gets people to goods and services in a very efficient manner."
"Secondly, with high gas prices and the construction on I-64 in the next three or four years, this can be a tremendous opportunity for MetroLink to really make a difference in people's lives."
"This is not the end of it," added Dooley. "We still have to look at West County and North County. There are still a lot of opportunities out there to push MetroLink for the entire community."
County officials anticipate the Extension will provide an economic boost to surrounding communities.
"Just about every station you visit, there is economic activity around it," stated Dooley. "People want to move next to a MetroLink. Businesses will also want to move next to a MetroLink, because there is a ready market right there. So it does make sense. MetroLink is not only an efficient method of transportation, it is an economic booster too."
Vilma Rivera, who lives in the Shrewbury area, was also excited about being able to meet friends at the MetroLink and then go to the Galleria for something to eat. "I can take the MetroLink back home. I don't have to worry about parking. I can also take the MetroLink downtown."
"Some of my neighbors are handicapped and don't have a lot of income," Rivera stated. "They came down here a couple of weeks ago to see the parking space and were so excited. They told me that now they can take the MetroLink and the bus and go somewhere without having to drive. It's such a good opportunity for us."
"I lived in New York," stated Rivera, "so if I can take the Subway, I can take the MetroLink."
Rivera has lived in St. Louis for 14 years. "This is a great place to settle. I'm Hispanic and the Hispanic community is coming up in St. Louis. So, it's nice to have something like this because there are a lot of people who don't have cars. Now they can get around on MetroLink," she said.
Construction of the Cross County MetroLink Extension began in the spring of 2003 and was funded 100% locally from the Proposition M sales tax passed in both St. Louis City and St. Louis County in August of 1994. The Cross County Extension will add 8 miles to the existing rail system, which currently spans 38 miles from Shiloh, Illinois (at Scott Air Force Base) to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
New fares of $2 adult for a MetroLink one-ride ticket and $1.75 adult for MetroBus one-ride ticket begin Monday. For MetroLink and MetroBus schedules and route maps, call Metro's Transit Information in Missouri at (314) 231-2345 or TTY (314) 982-1555, or from Illinois call (618) 271-2345 or TTY (618) 875-1200, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Residents and visitors enjoyed free rides and views of public art and urban design along the route of the new Extension during Welcome Aboard Weekend.
|
Ultragate Added to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), August 27, 2006 - Central Park in New York had Christo, the Missouri Botanical Garden has Chihuly and now the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge has Ultragate by James Woodfill. The project will be one of the longest public art projects in the country.
Trailnet, a not-for-profit organization that seeks to enrich the St. Louis bi-state region by promoting bicycle and pedestrian activities, has commissioned James Woodfill to produce a public art installation for the Bridge. The goal of Woodfill's public installation is to encourage reflection about the site and about the environment that the viewer in "n" both physically and emotionally. Funding for the project was secured through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Regional Arts Commission, and the Missouri Department of Transportation. The City of Madison Public Works assisted with the installation.
"The installation was inspired by the experience of walking the Bridge site," said Woodfill. "The structure seems dense in the distance, and as you move through it, the steel trusses slowly spread out into a light skeletal framework. With the massive structure overhead, the experience feels like a slowly decompressing gateway across the river."
Using fabric and several basic strategies the artist intends to amplify the "gateway" sensation by wrapping the trusses, wrapping "jackets" on sections along the sides and across the top trusses and installing large-scale " shaped" scrims to span the roadway. The artwork is installed at six sites along the Bridge near the approach on both the Illinois and Missouri sides of the main center span. The use of bright neon colors contrasts the rusty, green patina of the Bridge. It also enhances the intensity of the original red paint.
The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was renovated and re-opened in 1999 as a bicycle/pedestrian bridge by Trailnet and the City of Madison, Illinois. For many decades the Bridge was a key link in the beloved Route 66. Today the Bridge is the centerpiece of The Confluence Greenway, a magnificent riverside conservation, heritage and recreation corridor being developed in the heart of the bi-state community. The Bridge is also a vital link connecting trails on both sides of the river.
"We want to encourage visitors to come out to the Bridge to see the art, experience nature and enjoy the view," said Anne Jesse, Trailnet Board Member. The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge is open daily 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset. Monitored fee-based parking is in effect 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parking fees are $2 per vehicle and $10 for 15-passenger or larger vehicles.
|
How To Reach Us:
