Sound Transit begins construction on the East Link light rail extension. Next stop: 2023, when the line is expected to serve 50,000 riders a day.
"Sound Transit will break ground Friday on the $3.7 billion East Link light rail extension," reports the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
Some demolition work began earlier in the week, according to the article, "to make way for a 2,150-foot light rail tunnel through downtown Bellevue." Eventually the extension will run 14 miles from downtown Seattle to Mercer Island and Bellevue, and then to Overlake in Redmond, serving ten stations. The article includes a few renderings and maps, as well as more detail about the business side of the construction process.
The East Link light rail extension last made the Planetizen news feed when Sound Transit requested an additional $20 million to complete studies of a floating bridge across Lake Washington.
Read the full story: Sound Transit breaks ground Friday on $3.7B East Link
Floating Train Bridge Arriving in Seattle
The never-before-used design is already being built.
Seattle Area Developers Target Areas Around Light Rail Extension
The East Link line, which will connect Redmond and Bellevue to Seattle in 2025, is spurring transit-oriented development near future stations.
Sooner Rather Than Later: Support Builds for Eastside-Only Light Rail in Seattle
The Eastside Link light rail route, now known as Line 2, is delayed. A Sound Transit board officials is suggesting that some of the route can open soon, while the rest of the route is prepped to open later.
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