Metropolitan Transit Authority celebrates Missouri City Park and Ride

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) on Thursday held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Missouri City Park and Ride, as well as celebrated federal funding for the project secured by U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-Houston), according to a press release. Green presented METRO with a symbolic check in the amount of $5 million during the ceremony, according to the lawmaker’s X account.

“This is a significant step towards better transportation options in Northeastern Fort Bend County,” Green said in a post on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

METRO leaders and Green were joined by Missouri City officials and NewQuest Properties representatives, the release said. Sanjay Ramabhadran, who chairs the nine-member METRO Board of Directors, lauded Green’s work in Washington, D.C., to procure transit funding.

"This is a great example of ‘together, we can do more’ — to bring about safe and effective connections and mobility solutions for a growing population," Ramabhadran said in the release. “Thanks to the efforts of the congressman to secure this grant, the Park and Ride in Missouri City will also bring transit to ongoing development."

According to a June 5 Fort Bend Star story, the Missouri City Park and Ride will soon feature a parking garage to be used by the area’s commuters. The publication reported that the board in late May voted unanimously to enter into a 40-year agreement with NewQuest, a commercial real estate agency, to lease the property on which the garage will be constructed. The Missouri City Park and Ride sits at the intersection of Highway 6 and the Fort Bend Tollway.

METRO said that when the garage is finished, it’ll feature 1,750 spaces, a covered waiting area, ticket vending machines, real-time digital transit information, and restrooms. The release reports that it’ll anchor the third phase of NewQuest’s mixed-use Fort Bend Town Center.