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Open house focuses on Overlake area light rail segment

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Community members encouraged to provide input on future design-build contract

As Sound Transit moves forward with the design for the East Link light rail extension, community members are invited to attend an open house and provide feedback on the Overlake light rail segment and stations.

Overlake Open House
6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19
Presentation begins at 6:30 p.m.
Ardmore Elementary School Gymnasium
16616 N.E. 32nd Street, Bellevue

For the Overlake segment Sound Transit is using a design-build approach, under which the agency will competitively select a contractor to finalize the design and construct the segment. The integrated design-build approach can achieve efficiencies by having one coordinated team of designers and builders working toward a unified goal. Sound Transit will establish standards for the project and provide oversight to ensure the final design meets the contract requirements. Public feedback on the design will inform the standards for the project and will be shared with the design-build team.

The scheduled 2023 opening of East Link will offer riders fast, congestion free, and reliable access to destinations along a regional light rail system stretching approximately 50 miles. Riders departing from Overlake Transit Center will be able to reach Bellevue Transit Center in 10 minutes and downtown Seattle in 30 minutes, the University of Washington in 40 minutes and Sea-Tac Airport in 65 minutes (with a transfer at International District Station).

By 2030 East Link is projected to carry about 50,000 riders each weekday. As the region's population continues growing East Link will provide expanded transportation capacity to the I-90 corridor. Increases in the length and frequency of trains over time offer the capacity to carry from 9,000 to 12,000 people per hour in each direction, more than doubling the person-carrying capacity of I-90.