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Highlights of this issue include: Wrapping up two early construction contracts • Capitol Hill construction open house recap • Transit Oriented Development survey • Link Light rail service starts July 18! • What is University Link?

Contractor ready to begin work

Sound Transit is pleased to announce that Railworks Track Systems has been selected to construct track and signal improvements along the seven mile Sound Transit rail corridor between South M Street in Tacoma to Bridgeport Way SW in Lakewood.  The contractor has been given notice to proceed and will start mobilizing equipment on site in the next few days.   The typical work schedule for construction will be Mondays to Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  AECOM will provide construction management services for the project which is expected to be completed by the end of 2010.

More information will be provided about construction activities and the schedule as they are available.

For more information about the project visit our project page or contact Roger Iwata via email or at 206-689-4904.

As early as Monday, June 15 , Sound Transit’s contractor, Obayashi Corporation will temporarily close a portion of 17th Ave S at the intersection of S. Lander Street. This closure will remain in place for 24 hours a day/7 days a week, as crews will be paving the roadway.   This street closure is anticipated to last for approximately 10-14 days. Local access will be maintained at all times and all sidewalks will remain open.  Flaggers will be available on site to allow local traffic through the work zone.  A recommended detour is listed and will be marked.

Drivers should prepare for more ramp and lane closures as construction continues

At 5 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10 crews working for Sound Transit will reopen the ramp from Cherry Street to northbound I-5 in Seattle nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. Before opening the ramp, crews will close the two right lanes of northbound I-5between James Street and Olive Way on Monday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 9 to remove barrier. Each night crews will close the lanes at midnight and will reopen them by 5 a.m. the following morning.

For more information about this project, contact Erin Hunter at (888)298-2395 or erin.hunter@soundtransit.org. Complete project information is online here>>>

On June 18 from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m., the City of Tacoma, in partnership with Sound Transit and Pierce Transit, is hosting a Light Rail / Streetcar public information meeting. Anyone interested in learning more about the history and planning for these modes of transportation is encouraged to attend.

Come to our Open House on June 11, 2009 from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. to view plans for the new commuter parking at the Puyallup Fair & Event Center’s “Red Lot.”  Sound Transit could provide more parking by improving the “Red Lot” and opening more than 200 spaces for commuter parking. 
 

When opened, the lot will add 440 new parking spaces on the east side of the station. The new parking lot will connect to the Sounder platform and bus area by a new pedestrian bridge over the tracks. The project also provides a plaza area, bus layover space, landscaping and public art. Note that a portion of the south parking lot will remain closed for construction of Everett Transit’s future Swift Bus project. Learn more about Everett Station Phase II

Attention pedestrians, drivers and Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) bus riders!

Link light rail train testing is expanding starting Monday, May 18.

Trains will begin testing between Tukwila International Blvd. Station to Stadium Station (located at Royal Brougham) between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Trains will also run in the DSTT from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The hours of testing and numbers of trains will expand rapidly as Sound Transit prepares for passenger service between Westlake Station and Tukwila beginning Saturday, July 18.

Trains are running. Please:
• Stay alert around the tracks.  Trains are quiet and cannot stop quickly.
• Obey all signs, signals and warning devices.
• Cross only at designated intersections and push the button to activate the pedestrian signal.
• Always look both ways before crossing the streets.

In this issue: Over a series of 3 public meetings, the Sound Transit Board of Directors will consider the information and findings in the Draft EIS for the East Link Project, as well as the public and agency comments, in order to draft a preferred alternative.

Construction Update for March 2009: This spring construction will begin to upgrade seven miles of existing track and street crossings in the Lakeview Subdivision rail corridor from South M Street in Tacoma to Bridgeport Way SW in Lakewood. The project is one part of the Sounder commuter rail extension of service from Tacoma to Lakewood.

In 2008, the state legislature directed Sound Transit and the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) to complete a feasibility study to “determine whether commuter rail service between eastern Snohomish County and eastern King County…can be a meaningful component of the region’s future transportation system”.  The study was completed in January 2009.  It was determined that commuter rail on the Eastside BNSF is feasible and could be a meaningful component of the region’s future transportation system.  See this PDF file for a brief summary of the analysis.

The feasibility study materials and reports are available on the PSRC website at www.psrc.org/projects/bnsf/reports.htm

Safety bulletin: In the past several weeks, two fatalities involving trains operated by other entities have occurred on BNSF Railway Co. tracks in south King County. Both deaths involved pedestrians reportedly crossing the tracks in undesignated areas while talking on cell phones. Freight and passenger trains, including Sounder, are much quieter than most people realize. You may not hear a train coming. Please review the update and stay safe & sound.