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A view of the north entrance for Roosevelt Station from NE 66th St.
Media Caption
Looking at Roosevelt Station's north entrance, or head house, from NE 66th St. The main construction work at the station is nearly complete.

Fresh pics: progress along Northgate Link Extension

By Katie Metzger
Publish Date

It's been a while since we've shown off all the work being done on the Northgate Link extension. Here's a brief intro to the project before we share some pictures (which are worth 1,000 words anyway, right?)

The 4.3 mile extension will open in 2021.

Running north from the University of Washington Station, it includes new stations in the U District, Roosevelt and Northgate neighborhoods.

Roosevelt Station is almost finished, and the overall project is about 87 percent complete.

If you enjoy these photos, follow us on Instagram and tune in on Fridays for our regular "Field Trip Friday" stories where we visit Sound Transit construction sites around the region. 

And of course, subscribe to The Platform to get the latest news and photos delivered to your inbox!

Roosevelt Station

First, let's check out Roosevelt Station. Trips from Roosevelt to downtown Seattle will take 10 minutes, no matter how bad traffic is on I-5.

A construction worker touches up cement on the stairs leading to the north entrance of Roosevelt Station.
Finishing touches are going in, like cement on the steps leading to the north station entrance. "Building Blocks" by R&R Studios can be seen in the background.
A view from the south station headhouse, looking out toward NE 65th St.
This was good lighting to admire the tile and glass work at Roosevelt Station's south entrance.
Three construction workers work on the north headhouse of Roosevelt Station.
Hats off to the hard-working men and women who have put in more than 4 million labor hours so far (650,000 this year!) building the Northgate stations and tunnels.
A view of the platform at Roosevelt Station, looking down from the stairs coming from the mezzanine level.
Riders will have the option of taking public stairs, escalators or elevators from the surface to the platform about 90 feet underground. Here we're on the stairs from the mezzanine level, looking down at the platform.
A view from the platform of one of the tunnels, bathed in blue light.
After tunneling and trackwork, crews will now shift their focus to track electrification, signals and the communication system needed to run trains.

Northgate Station

Now, on to Northgate Station! It's the only station above ground, so milestones are a little easier to see. Construction here is about 84 percent complete.

A view of Northgate Station, looking west. A construction worker carries a steel beam in the foreground.
A lot of architectural features, including elevators, escalators and glass art, have gone in at Northgate Station.
Construction workers focus on tile and track work at the Northgate Station platform.
Crews have been focusing on waterproofing and tile installation at the platform.

U District Station

And of course, we can't forget about U District Station, which is about 78 percent complete. Work on the stations started at different times depending on the tunnel mining - that's why they're all at slightly different levels of completion. 

A view of a U District Station entrance, with UW Tower in the background.
A lot of work has been happening underground, so it's exciting to see the above-grade station taking shape.
A view of the tunnel at U District Station, after tile work was completed.
Wall panels and the tunnel can be seen from the platform.

More stories on Northgate construction

Hopefully this isn't the first time you've run across our continuing coverage of Northgate Link construction.

Check out our past stories for more action shots and information.

Art that reflects and creates community

Fresh pics: Going underground at Roosevelt Station

Fresh photos from U District Station

Northgate Station looking good in its fall colors

Or you can see all of our Northgate Link stories by clicking on the Northgate Link category listing below (or on the right if you're reading this on your desktop or tablet).

Here's an overview of the whole extension:

More light rail to the north, east and south

From Northgate, Link will continue to Lynnwood and Everett. We're scheduled to open to Lynnwood in 2024 and Everett in 2036. 

Check our system expansion page for details on the overall regional light rail expansion taking light rail to the East Side, Federal Way and Tacoma. 

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