METRO Chairman David Wolff, other Board members and elected officials were joined by Houston Mayor Bill White to celebrate the start construction of the light-rail expansion.

"We gather this morning in one of the oldest parts of Houston to mark the onset of a new future," said Wolff.  "We launch construction of the East End Corridor and the beginning of 30 more miles of light rail to serve our community's growing transportation needs."

The symbolic launch took place in front of two bulldozers ready to move sand.  At the end of a countdown, METRO and elected officials pushed buttons, setting off confetti streamers, music and fireworks.

Amid the celebration, Mayor White acknowledged the concerns of those who will experience construction in front of their homes or businesses.  "Everyone who has added a room in their house because there's a new child coming knows that construction takes patience", he said as he urged the community to "help us talk to each other, not about each other" to make construction as smooth as possible.

METRORail's East End line will provide area residents and businesses with connections to the rest of the city with a faster, more reliable mode of transit.  There will be a four-mile ride from the Magnolia Transit Center to Downtown Houston, with the last portion of the track shared with the Southeast line.  Riders will be able to transfer to the Southeast line and go all the way to the University of Houston main campus and Palm Center.  East End line riders will also have a transfer point to METRORail's existing Red Line on Main Street. 

Construction is set to begin in Monday, June 30. 

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