The “Transit Stop Transformation Project” at Emerson Park Transit Center Opens to The Public

Just a few days after volunteers from Citizens for Modern Transit, REALTOR Association of Southwestern Illinois, AARP in St. Louis, the St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD), Added Dimension, CBB and PGAV gathered at the newly transformed Emerson Park Transit Center to help fill planters and beautify the space, a public unveiling was held on August 21st.

A community celebration was held at the site from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. featuring formal remarks by local officials, stakeholders, and East St. Louis High School students who helped inspire the vision behind the mural. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony and the ability to explore the new space, while listening to music and enjoying complimentary Pirtles’s Ice Cream. The opening comes after a months-long process of getting input from transit riders, area residents, elected officials and stakeholders through a series of virtual Design Workshops, surveys and community events – and completing construction.

The project transforms the concrete area between the bus bays and MetroLink entrance into an interactive, playful, engaging space that gives a nod to the history of music in East St. Louis and makes it part of the fabric of the community. In addition, a mural on the pedestrian overpass depicts the historic importance of music in East St. Louis made possible through an AARP Community Challenge Grant. In addition, the REALTOR Association of Southwestern Illinois presented the project partners an additional grant to help bring this project to fruition.

Find out more about the ribbon cutting event here.