Open houses to focus on East Link light rail design for South Bellevue and East Main Station area

Residents can get an update and provide input as design reaches 60 percent completion

As Sound Transit moves forward with the design for the East Link light rail extension, residents are invited to attend a Feb. 6 open house on the South Bellevue segment and station and a Feb. 25 open house on the East Main Station area. The designs for these portions of the East Link project are now approximately 60 percent complete. The open houses are co-hosted by the City of Bellevue Light Rail Permitting Citizen's Advisory Committee. Committee members will be on hand to discuss the designs with the public. 

South Bellevue Segment Open House
5-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6
Presentation begins at 5:30 p.m.
Enatai Elementary School, 10615 SE 23rd St., Bellevue
This event will focus on the design for the segment between I-90 and Southeast Fourth Street.

East Main Station Area Open House
5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25
Presentation begins at 5:30 p.m.
Red Lion Hotel Bellevue 11211 Main St., Bellevue
This event will focus on the design of the segment between Southeast Fourth Street and Main Street, including the East Main Station.

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 South Bellevue Station will be able to reach downtown Seattle in 14 minutes, the University of Washington in 24 minutes and Sea-Tac Airport in 49 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.