Houston Metro kicks off Southeast Line extension

Written by jrood

A crowd of hard-hatted, safety-vested notables endured withering heat to watch construction crews complete an 80-foot bed for light-rail track, the first Houston has seen in 10 years. The steel rail near Paige and Rusk, east of downtown, will be part of the 6.6-mile Southeast (Purple) Line. The line, starting near the new Dynamo Stadium will run to Palm Center near the University of Houston Central Campus and is expected to be open in mid-2014. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) joined other officials in support of METRO public transit and cited light-rail for improved infrastructure and many jobs it brings to the city. METRO Board Chairman Gilbert Garcia said he was delighted with the progress, "This is an exciting moment and an exciting day for the community and certainly all of us at METRO. It's been more than 10 years since we laid concrete for rail. We're happy to be here today to tell everyone light rail is coming to Houston." The last time METRO poured concrete for new light-rail track was for the Main Street Red Line in September 2001.

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