Lights up

Montrose bridges will light up Houston for special events and causes

Houston's answer to the Empire State Building: Seven arched bridges spanning the Southwest Freeway will be lit up to highlight local charities and non-denominational nonprofit organizations.

@CrackedFox.com/Montrose District

For decades, New York's Empire State Building has been lit up in multiple colors for special holidays, causes and events. Now Houston has its own iconic way to do the same thing.

The Montrose Management District (MMD) has announced it will use the programmable LED lights on the seven arched bridges spanning the Southwest Freeway to highlight events sponsored by Houston charities and non-denominational nonprofit organizations. Those groups must apply at least 60 days in advance of the event and the decision will be made by the district's board of directors.

Holidays, historical events, and extraordinary events or occurrences of city, state, national or international significance are eligible as are city and Montrose initiatives. But lighting requests for personal occasions or religious observances will not be considered.

“We are pleased to demonstrate our support of nonprofit causes, as well as to promote awareness of various initiatives that impact our diverse community,” MMD chairman Claude Wynn said in a statement. “The bridges are a significant landmark in Houston, and we look forward to giving nonprofits the ability to use the lights in their promotions and awareness-building efforts.”

For more information, visit www.MontroseDistrict.org/Lights.

The first holiday to be observed in lights on the Montrose bridges was this past St. Patrick's Day, when they were bathed in green LED lights. Holidays already marked for observance on the bridges include:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day – red, white, and blue
President’s Day – red, white and blue
St. Patrick’s Day – green
Earth Day – green and blue
Cinco de Mayo – red, green, and white
Memorial Day – red, white, and blue
Pride Week – rainbow colors
4th of July – red, white, and blue
Italian Festival – green white and red
Greek Festival – white and blue
September 11 – red, white, blue
Halloween – orange and black
Veteran’s Day – red, white, blue
World AIDS Day – red
Hanukkah – blue and white
Christmas – red and green
Kwanza – red, black, green
New Year’s Eve – bright white or gold

city-news-roundup

accessibility brings empowerment

Autonomous cab company cruises into Houston with wheelchair-accessible rides

Courtesy of Cruise

The six month program is available is more than 90 Houston-area ZIP codes.

A California company with autonomous cabs has announced a new pilot program in partnership with a provider of wheelchairs and mobility solutions.

Cruise has teamed up with Numotion for a six-month wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) pilot program in Houston, offering free transportation for qualifying Numotion customers, according to the companies. The program will operate in over 90 Houston-area ZIP codes.

“Numotion is excited to partner with Cruise to offer a seamless and convenient solution for wheelchair users in the Houston area. By providing transportation to and from repair appointments, we're alleviating a significant stressor and providing a way for our customers to receive their service and repair faster,” says Mike Swinford, CEO of Numotion, in a news release. “We're constantly striving to innovate and improve the lives of our customers, and this collaboration demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing beneficial customer experiences."

Cruise entered the Texas market last year, with Houston services launching in October 2023 before the company put all operations on pause following a California crash. This is the first Texas announcement for Cruise since the pause.

"Accessibility is core to our mission at Cruise. This pilot program with Numotion is doing more than providing accessible rides – it’s about empowering people in the community with greater mobility and independence, while also building learnings to better our service in the future," says Craig Glidden, president and chief administrative officer at Cruise about the new pilot.

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The story originally was published on our sister site, InnovationMap.