Superstition Springs Transit Center & LINK Stations Celebrate Official Opening

Agency News

Phoenix, AZ (Nov. 2, 2009) The Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) celebrates the grand opening of its first construction project in the agency’s 23-year history. The official ribbon cutting at the Superstition Springs Transit Center on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. will be recognized by the partners who designed, developed and constructed the facility: City of Mesa, Valley Metro RPTA and Westcor.

The Transit Center, located at Power Road north of the US 60 provides service for the Valley’s first arterial Bus Rapid Transit service, Main Street LINK, which began connecting the east valley to the METRO light rail station at Sycamore and Main last December. Also celebrated on Thursday will be the opening of 13 out of 26 LINK stations along the route. Local artist, Laurie Lindquist, designed the LINK station at the Mesa Arts Shelter to incorporate dangling mirror-coated “raindrops” to create a dynamic feature of movement and sound.

Features of the new transit center include artistic fencing made of rusty steel and stone inspired by the earth’s curves and a main shelter that mimics the arches of the mall. Local artist, William Barnhart, provided the design for the artwork that provides for the center’s unique look.

The Transit Center’s main shelter also features a living roof to offer a cooling effect with native, low water plants.  Other elements include benches, trash receptacles and tree grates that have an integrated design with the shelter structure and fencing. Eighty spaces were added to the site and a specially-designed driveway that will save $100,000 annually in bus operations.

The Transit Center at a construction cost of $2.3 and LINK stations at $5.2 million are funded by Proposition 400, the county half-cent sales tax approved in 2004 that funds transportation projects and services in Maricopa County.

Valley Metro/RPTA provides eco-friendly public transit options to residents of greater Phoenix and Maricopa County, including a clean-fuel bus fleet, low-emissions light rail,  a bio-diesel Dial-a-Ride fleet, online carpool matching and bus trip mapping, and bicycle and telework assistance. Funding is provided by local, state and federal revenues; and administered by a board of 15 governments working to improve and regionalize the public transit system.

All service and projects funded by the Proposition 400 Regional Transportation Plan funds approved by Maricopa County voters in November 2004.

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