PHOENIX — The city of Phoenix has dedicated the new transit center near the old Metrocenter mall to the late former mayor and council member Thelda Williams.
Williams passed away Tuesday night at the age of 82 following a battle with cancer.
The expansion of light rail service to Metrocenter may never have happened if it were not for Williams.
"When I was in the city council I represented the District just on the other side of I-17. She told me for years I'm going to get that bridge built across the I-17," County Supervisor Bill Gates said, "I said how are you going to get that done Thelda? Get it through ADOT all this red tape. She said, I'm going to get it done."
She helped advocate for light rail expansion during her decades serving on Phoenix city council and as the chair of the Valley Metro Rail Board.
The city announced the new transit center for the northwest light rail extension project would be named after Williams in May, citing her key role in the planning and construction of the light rail, bus service expansion, Sky Harbor expansion, and the preservation of water resources.
She also chaired the Transportation Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee during her time on the city council.
At a Phoenix city council meeting earlier this week, Mayor Kate Gallego said even though Williams will no longer be at the dedication Friday, they've found special ways to honor her legacy.
"The city manager was unsure if the shop could complete a rush order of the commemorative sign, but when the employees at the street transportation shop heard it was for Thelda Williams, they finished it within 24 hours," Gallego said at the meeting. "That is the depth of how the city family felt about her...they always had her back because she always had theirs."
Valley Metro signed off on the Northwest Extension II light rail project off Interstate 17 in November 2021.
The extension will be 1.6 miles of light rail from 19th Avenue and Dunlap to the now closed Metrocenter Mall.
Valley Metro officials said, at the time, they hoped the extension would eventually breathe new life into the area, along with new investments and jobs.
They received about $160 million from a Federal Capital Investment Grant for the expansion in 2021, which covered a significant chunk of the roughly $400 million price tag for the project.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was among the dignitaries at that announcement, which was almost exactly two years ago.
He touted the extension as just the type of project the federal government had aimed to support.
"The Northwest Extension of light rail reflects so many of the values that matter to this administration and this community," Buttigieg said.
The next step of the extension project is to continue system testing, according to Valley Metro.
It's expected to open for public use early 2024.
