METRO - in Position and Ready to Roll!

The time has come to break ground on the North and Southeast lines, and though the landscape has been changing slowly in the East End, METRO is about to pick up the pace.

Mark your calendars for July 13, 2009 and celebrate a momentous day in METRO history.

That’s when METRO will host its groundbreaking ceremony for the North and Southeast lines, as well as celebrate the heightened activity that will soon hit the East End.

In recent weeks, METRO has been on the receiving end of great news. First, President Obama’s FY2010 budget included $150 million for construction of the North and Southeast lines. This is remarkable as just five new, large-scale transit projects were included in the annual budget – two of which are Houston’s North and Southeast lines. The move also signals the administration’s intent to enter into a Full Funding Grant Agreement and potential funding of $900M for the two lines. Secondly, METRO scored a positive report from a state-mandated performance audit that measured the agency’s performance from FY2005-FY2008. And, to round out these positive developments, results from the 28th Annual Houston Area Survey – the longest-running public opinion survey of its kind – showed public opinion on mass transit has improved.

Join METRO at Union Station Minute Maid Park at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 13 and rally in support of Houston as it moves to develop what the voters’ approved in the 2003 METRO Solutions referendum – more mobility.