Sound Transit to hold open house for South 200th Street Link light rail extension

Oct. 5 open house will provide opportunity for public to review project design elements

The public will have an opportunity to view and discuss the design of the South 200th Link light rail extension when Sound Transit hosts an open house from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at the SeaTac City Hall Council Chambers. There will be a brief presentation at 6:00 p.m.

This will be the first chance the general public will have to view renderings of the South 200th project since the Sound Transit Board of Directors approved accelerating its design and construction four years earlier than envisioned in the Sound Transit 2 plan. Service on the South 200th light rail extension is scheduled to start with University Link in 2016.

Open house participants will be able to review and discuss with staff station, guideway and parking elements, proposed art features, and bicycle and pedestrian access.

The $383.2 million (year of expenditure dollars) project extends light rail service 1.6 miles south from Sea-Tac Airport to South 200th Street. The project includes an elevated guideway and station along 28th Avenue South to South 200th Street. The station will include passenger platforms with covered waiting areas, transfers to local and rapid ride bus connections, dedicated areas for passenger pickup and drop off, and vanpool parking. Secured bicycle storage, street improvements to accommodate traffic circulation, and landscaping are also elements of the project.

A combination of garage and surface parking is planned for users arriving at the South 200th station by car. The additional parking capacity will provide an alternative to parking at the Tukwila International Boulevard light rail station and will accommodate light rail parking demand south of the airport.

By 2018, the South 200th Station will serve an estimated 2,700 boardings on an average weekday. The stations at Capitol Hill and the University of Washington will serve 11,800 and 14,900 riders each weekday, respectively. System-wide, 25 million transit users will ride Link in 2018. By 2030, Link light rail will serve 260,000 people each weekday.

More information about the South 200th extension project is available at www.soundtransit.org/s200thstreet.