The long awaited Northgate Link Extension, which will connect rapidly changing neighborhoods in North Seattle to downtown in 14 minutes, will open to the public on Saturday, October 2.
The Northgate Link Extension, which will connect light rail transit beyond its current terminus at the University of Washington north to Northgate, will open this week.
Mike Lindblom reports the big transit news for Seattle, describing the project as another transformation for North Seattle. "Light rail arrives just in time for traffic-free connections to the new Kraken Community Iceplex and a walk-bike bridge over Interstate 5 to North Seattle College, to be followed by thousands of new apartments, offices, a medical clinic and two proposed hotels," according to Linblom. (In 2019, Planetizen shared the news of the development boom that anticipated the transit extension.)
The $1.9 billion megaproject spans 4.3 miles and will add three new stations in Seattle—two underground (the U District and Roosevelt stations) and an elevate station at Northgate. Trains will run every eight minutes during peak hours and travel from Northgate to the University of Washington in seven minutes, and 14 minutes from Northgate to downtown Seattle.
"Sound Transit has estimated the new Northgate, Roosevelt and U District stations that open Saturday will attract a combined 42,000-49,000 riders per day, adding to the 80,000 who rode light rail before COVID-19," adds Lindblom.
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