"I think sister Parks would be proud," County Supervisor Holly Mitchell proclaimed, celebrating Metro's completed Rosa Parks/Willowbrook Station today. Mitchell, who appears at Zoom meetings in front of a painted portrait of Parks that hangs in the supervisor's dining room, continued emphasizing what Parks' desegregation accomplishments "represent in terms of everyone having access to publicly funded transportation." Rosa Parks' story was echoed by several other speakers, including U.S. Representative Nanette Barragán, Metro boardmember Jacqueline Dupont-Walker, and Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins.
Right now, until 6 p.m. today, Metro is hosting a community celebration of the completion of its newly renovated Rosa Parks Station - located at the intersection of the Metro A (Blue) and C (Green) Lines. If you're in the area, drop by light refreshments, community booths, free vaccinations, and more - and, of course, check out the beautiful new station area.
Metro's $129 million renovation and modernization project includes an extended A Line platform, a new southern at-grade crossing connecting to a promenade and community plaza, a new customer center, a new mobility/bike hub, an expanded transfer mezzanine, expanded park-and-ride areas, electronic signage, improved lighting, upgraded stairs and elevators, a protected bikeway approach, and new artwork and landscaping.
Also speaking at today's opening ceremonies (watch via Facebook), CEO Wiggins commented that the "long overdue" station improvements mean today's Rosa Parks Station is "beautiful, bright, and modern... with all the bells and whistles."
The new Rosa Parks Station is a significant improvement over what had been there before. In a location made inhospitable by excessive space dedicated to driving and parking, the changes have already improved the experience for Metro riders. But there are several ways that Metro fell short of truly prioritizing transit riders and anyone getting around on foot and by bike, including leaving out sidewalks and a planned bikeway, and allowing private cars to drive through the middle of the new station.
