Phoenix names new transit center after longtime council member Thelda Williams
May 6, 2023, 4:00 PM
The City of Phoenix is naming a new transit center, currently being built at Metrocenter, for former District 1 City Council Member and Mayor Thelda Williams. Rendering by City of Phoenix.
PHOENIX — A Phoenix transit center being built at Metrocenter will be named after former city council member Thelda Williams, according to a press release.
The transit center, which is scheduled to open early next year, will be located under the elevated light rail station.
Williams represented District 1 on the Phoenix City Council from 1989-96 and from 2008-21. She was appointed as the city’s interim mayor three times, in 1994, 2012 and 2019.
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“I am very excited to name the transit center at Metrocenter after Thelda Williams, a Phoenix leader who, among many other accomplishments, championed transit initiatives in our city,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in the release.
“The Metrocenter transit center will connect more parts of our city and unlock new opportunities for our residents. We couldn’t have gotten here without councilwoman Williams’ advocacy, and I’m looking forward to the future unveiling of the finished project with her name on it.”
According to the release, Williams played a key role in the planning and construction of the city’s light rail, bus service expansion, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s expansion and operations and in the preservation of water resources.
Williams, who retired in 2021, also served as vice mayor and chaired the Transportation Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee and the Valley Metro Rail board.
