After a car demolished a Bridgeport bus shelter near Fireside Apartments in 2019, a replacement was never installed - leaving many nearby senior and disabled residents who take the bus exposed to nature's elements.

For the past three years, 88-year-old Elinor Lewis advocated for a new shelter. A ribbon-cutting was held this morning for the long-awaited replacement.

To honor her advocacy, the Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority named the bus shelter after her. 

“This is the very first time we’ve ever named a shelter after an advocate like this,” says GBTA CEO Doug Holcolm. 

“Elinor Lewis is really a force of nature,” says Sen. Richard Blumenthal. 

Lewis says she was overwhelmed by the gesture. 

“I never expected anything like this,” says Lewis. “Thank you, thank you.” 

The head of the Bridgeport Housing Authority, Jillian Baldwin, worked with GBTA to get the new bus shelter installed. It was paid for with state and federal money.