January 19, 2006 - Ribbon Cutting Event Set for Port St. Lucie Downtown Trolley and Transit Route

The St. Lucie County Community Services Department, the City of Port St. Lucie and the Council on Aging's Community Transit will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Port St. Lucie Downtown Trolley and Transit Route on Friday, January 27 at 10 a.m. The event will take place at Veterans Memorial Park located at 2100 S.E. Midport Road in Port St. Lucie.

Beginning full operation on January 30, the trolley will operate Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and have two connection points with the Treasure Coast Connector U.S. 1 route. The route runs along Midport Road to Villas of Village Green, Rivergate Plaza, Lyngate Park and around to the Morningside Library. The route has 21 stops making shopping at Staples Plaza, Market Place and East Port Plaza easy. Additionally, riders can get to doctor's appointments at St. Lucie Medical Center and adjacent medical offices with ease. For those who depend on the Demand Response service, residents will now have transportation freedom via the new trolley service since it is capable of carrying motorized wheelchairs. The fare to ride the trolley is $1.

The trolley, which costs $232,053 per year to operate, is funded through grant money from the Federal Transit Administration and fare box collections. For more information, call (772) 462-1176 or visit the website at www.treasurecoastconnector.com.