Federal Way Link Extension
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The Federal Way Link Extension is a planned
History
In November 2008, voters approved funding for the segment between Sea-Tac Airport and Redondo/Star Lake at South 272nd Street. However, reduced tax revenue as a result of the
On July 23, 2015, the Sound Transit Board selected their preferred alternative for the Federal Way Link Extension, routed along the west side of
In July 2018, the project's estimated cost was revised to $2.55 billion, due to land acquisition costs and limited availability of suitable contractors.[7] The Federal Transit Administration awarded a $790 million grant and $629 million loan to Sound Transit for the project in December 2019.[8] Construction began in early 2020, which was commemorated with a virtual groundbreaking ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] The final girders connecting to the existing guideway at Angle Lake station were placed in April 2022.[10] Sound Transit adopted the official names for the project's three stations in June 2022.[11] The start of light rail service to Federal Way was pushed back to 2026 due to several issues, including a four-month strike by concrete truck drivers and issues discovered during construction.[12][13] A section between Kent/Des Moines and Star Lake stations was also redesigned to use a 500-foot (150 m) elevated span due to unstable soils in a wetland along Interstate 5.[14] It will be longest span on the Link light rail system and is planned to be buried by soil.[15]
Route
From
A new operations and maintenance facility is planned to be constructed to support operations of the future Tacoma Dome Link Extension with candidate sites near Kent Des Moines station or southern Federal Way.[17] The proposed Kent Des Moines site at the former Midway Landfill replaced an earlier proposal that was withdrawn after public concerns over the displacement of a Dick's Drive-In.[18] A site in southern Federal Way was chosen as the preferred alternative in 2021.[19]
Stations
Name | City/Neighborhood | Location | Planned Year | ||
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Angle Lake | Seatac
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International Blvd and S 200th St | 2016 | ||
End of South 200th Link Extension
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Kent Des Moines | Kent, Des Moines | Pacific Highway S and Kent-Des Moines Rd | 2026 | ||
Star Lake | Federal Way | Pacific Highway S and S 272nd St | 2026 | ||
Federal Way Downtown | Federal Way | 23rd Ave S and S 317th St | 2026 |
References
- ^ "Sound Transit Board Motion No. M2010-102" (PDF). Sound Transit. December 16, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 4, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (April 26, 2013). "Work begins on south end of Link light rail". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ^ a b "Sound Transit Board identifies preferred alternative for light rail extension to Kent/Des Moines, Federal Way" (Press release). Sound Transit. July 23, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
- ^ "Sound Transit advances engineering for Federal Way, Redmond light rail extensions" (Press release). Sound Transit. February 25, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ^ Demay, Daniel (May 26, 2016). "Sound Transit bumps up timelines for next phases of light rail". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ Dawson, Rachel (January 30, 2017). "Officials reach agreement on Federal Way Link Extension's impact to Mark Twain Elementary". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (July 26, 2018). "Soaring land and construction costs push light-rail line to Federal Way over $2.5 billion". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (December 16, 2019). "Feds say they'll grant $790M for Federal Way light-rail extension". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ Sailor, Craig (July 16, 2020). "The earth is moving for $3.1 billion light rail extension from SeaTac to Federal Way". The News Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^ "Federal Way light rail construction connects to existing 1 Line" (Press release). Sound Transit. April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ Hunter, Steve (June 27, 2022). "Sound Transit approves light rail station names in Kent, Federal Way". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (August 18, 2022). "More delays for light rail to Bellevue, Redmond, Federal Way, Lynnwood". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ "Federal Way Link Extension". Sound Transit. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (May 26, 2023). "Wetlands bridge adds delay and $72 million to light-rail project". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ Sailor, Craig (December 28, 2023). "Sound Transit is building a bridge it will bury before Federal Way Link extension opens". The News Tribune. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Sullivan, Olivia (August 1, 2022). "Sound Transit installs elevated tracks over S. 320th Street in Federal Way". Kent Reporter. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Operations and Maintenance Facility South". Sound Transit. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ Eldridge, Keith (May 24, 2019). "Dick's Drive-In in Kent spared from destruction by Sound Transit". KOMO 4 News. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ Sullivan, Olivia (December 17, 2021). "Sound Transit Board approves Federal Way site for light rail maintenance facility". Kent Reporter. Retrieved December 1, 2022.