Transit tunnel work to prepare for construction of Eastside light rail connection completed ahead of schedule
Planned Nov. 9-10 light rail disruption canceled; Temporary Pioneer Square center platform ready for January’s Connect 2020 service impacts
Crews completed work ahead of schedule on a new temporary center platform at the Pioneer Square station that will allow light rail trains operate on a single track through downtown Seattle during Connect 2020. As a result, a planned downtown light rail closure scheduled for the second weekend of November has been canceled.
Connect 2020 is the 10-week period of major light rail service impacts beginning January 4, 2020 that will connect the existing light rail system in downtown Seattle to the Blue Line serving Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond starting in 2023.
Connect 2020 work starting in January is another phase of the "Seattle Squeeze" (see below). Sound Transit and partner agencies are working together closely during this period to keep people moving. Sound Transit's commitment over the next five years is to complete light rail extensions that will more than double the reach of current service, expanding congestion-free commuting options for thousands of new riders each day.
Learn more about Connect 2020 at https://www.soundtransit.org/connect2020.
Managing the 'Seattle Squeeze'
As the "Seattle Squeeze" continues over the next five years, Seattle's downtown will continue to undergo transitions to meet the needs of a growing city. Regional transportation partners including the City of Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation, King County Metro, Sound Transit and the Port of Seattle are all working together to keep people and goods moving safely to and through downtown.
The latest developments in the Seattle Squeeze began this fall with the demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the construction of the new waterfront continuing to change travel behavior. Increased King County Metro Transit service began Sept. 21, adding transit trips during the shoulder peak periods, and WSDOT will begin tolling the SR 99 tunnel November 9, again potentially altering how people travel to and through downtown. In January, Connect 2020 will require a 10-week light rail service modification as the tracks to the Eastside are connected to the existing Link Red Line. Learn more about the Seattle Squeeze at www.seattle.gov/traffic.