Tacoma Link construction project starts next week

Starting the week of June 18, Sound Transit will begin building another portion of its 1.6-mile Tacoma Link light rail project. The construction site, which will ultimately include a new park plaza, is at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and 17th Street, the former location of a Chevron gas station. The building is now vacant.

Sound Transit's contractor, Emerald Services, is demolishing the vacant building, removing underground fuel tanks and conducting an environmental cleanup at the site. The cleanup includes replacing contaminated soil with clean fill. The total contract for demolition and environmental cleanup is $184,000.

Sound Transit will be teaming up with the City of Tacoma to complete the new park plaza. Once Sound Transit has installed the tracks, which will traverse the hill between Pacific Avenue and Commerce Street, the City of Tacoma will add new walkways and pedestrian connections. The University of Washington's Tacoma campus, which is adjacent to the site, will also be involved.

The park plaza is being designed to serve the area's growing foot traffic.

"The site will undergo a complete transformation, from a gas station to a public plaza for pedestrians," said Sue Comis, Sound Transit's project manager for Tacoma's Link light rail.

"This relatively small contract is the first step in transforming this central location in downtown Tacoma."

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Sound Transit plans, builds and operates regional transit systems and services to improve mobility for Central Puget Sound.