May 25 open house will provide information on light rail, upcoming transit tunnel closure

A public open house on Wednesday, May 25 will provide information on steps that are underway to bring Central Link light rail to downtown Seattle, including the upcoming retrofit of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) for joint use by light rail trains and buses.

The DSTT will be closed for up to two years beginning Sept. 24 while it is retrofitted. Starting June 4, the tunnel will close on Saturdays (in addition to Sundays) as early retrofit work gets underway.

The open house will provide information on the full range of work associated with building light rail downtown. The impacts of the construction process will be greatly reduced since most of the retrofit will take place underground. On surface streets, the light rail project's main impacts are related to moving buses out of the tunnel during the retrofit and building a short extension of the tunnel beneath 2-1/2 blocks of Pine Street.

During the retrofit, Sound Transit, the City of Seattle, King County Metro Transit and Community Transit are working together on a $16 million package of mitigation projects and programs to keep downtown Seattle moving, including dedicating Third Avenue as a transit-priority corridor during peak commute hours. Other steps include improving traffic signal systems downtown, and street work at the north and south ends of downtown to help move buses and cars through the downtown core. The open house will provide a chance for community members to learn about the projects and talk with representatives of the agencies.

Keeping Downtown Seattle Moving Open House
Wednesday, May 25
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Grand Hyatt Hotel
721 Pine Street, Seattle

Detailed information on the tunnel retrofit and downtown construction is available at www.seattletunnel.org. The tunnel will reopen to buses by September 2007 and the light rail trains will begin running in mid 2009.

Also present at the open house will be representatives of the Urban Mobility Group, recently launched by the Downtown Seattle Association in partnership with King County Metro Transit and the City of Seattle to provide information on making the most of downtown commute options. The Urban Mobility Group — www.urbanmobilitygroup.com — provides the first one-stop resource for downtown employers, building managers and commuters.