U District station

Coordinates: 47°39′38″N 122°18′51″W / 47.66056°N 122.31417°W / 47.66056; -122.31417
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 U District
Link light rail station
Inside an underground train station at platform level with a set of escalators leading upward and a train in the background.
Platform level on opening day
General information
Location4300 Brooklyn Avenue Northeast
Seattle, Washington
United States
Coordinates47°39′38″N 122°18′51″W / 47.66056°N 122.31417°W / 47.66056; -122.31417
Owned bySound Transit
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Bicycle facilitiesLockers and racks
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedOctober 2, 2021
Passengers
7,088 daily weekday boardings (2023)[1]
2,412,536 total boardings (2023)[1]
Services
Preceding station Sound Transit Following station
Link
Roosevelt
toward Northgate
1 Line University of Washington
toward Angle Lake
Future service
Preceding station Sound Transit Following station
Link
Roosevelt 2 Line
(2025)
University of Washington

U District station is a

University of Washington campus
. The underground station has two entrances along Brooklyn Avenue Northeast at 43rd and 45th streets.

Construction of the station began in 2012 as part of the

peak periods and 10–15 minutes at other times. U District station also includes five bus bays served by several King County Metro and Sound Transit Express
routes that connect to nearby areas.

Location

U District station is located under the east side of Brooklyn Avenue Northeast between Northeast 43rd and 45th streets, at the heart of the University District urban village in northern Seattle. It is near the area's main commercial corridor, The Ave, which runs a block east on University Way Northeast. To the west of the station is UW Tower, a high-rise office building used by the University of Washington (UW); adjacent to the station's north entrance is the historic Neptune Theatre.[2][3] To the east is the university campus as well as the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture on 15th Avenue Northeast.[4]

Transit-oriented development

The area surrounding U District station is a

multi-family residential housing. Within a 12 mile (0.80 km) of the station is one of the densest concentrations of housing and jobs in the region, with nearly 15,000 jobs and over 21,000 residents counted in 2013.[5]

The station is designed to support up to 240 feet (73 m) of transit-oriented development on top of the entrances and station box.[6] The city of Seattle began developing a comprehensive rezoning of the neighborhood to allow for taller buildings in 2013, proposing a maximum height limit of 340 feet (100 m) along NE 45th Street and 85 feet (26 m) in other parts of the neighborhood.[7][8] The rezoning proposal ran into opposition from locals who filed an appeal to halt planning, citing a need for affordable housing and open space.[9] A revised plan unveiled in September 2016 by Mayor Ed Murray requires new developments in the neighborhood to include rent-restricted affordable housing or pay a fine.[10][11] The rezone was approved in March 2017, taking effect shortly thereafter, allowing a maximum height of 320 feet (98 m) for residential use and 160 feet (49 m) for offices.[12] As of 2021, there are 20 high-rise buildings under development in the University District, including several above 20 stories in height.[13][14]

The University of Washington showed interest in developing an office tower over the station box, whose development rights were acquired by the university in 2013.

plaza on top of the station, citing the dimensions being similar to those of central squares in European cities.[16][17] The university approved a 50-year lease with the Lincoln Property Company in 2020 to develop a 12-story office tower above the station site.[18][19] Construction on the building began in 2023 and is scheduled to be completed in late 2024; five stories will be occupied by the university's administrative offices, while the rest is leased for other clients.[20]

History

Early proposals

Proposals for rapid transit service to the University District date back to the early 20th century. In 1911, Virgil Bogue proposed an extensive rapid transit system, including an underground subway from Downtown Seattle and Eastlake to Latona (the present-day University District), following 10th Avenue Northeast and intersecting an east–west line on Northeast 45th Street.[21] The proposal was rejected by voters the following year.[22] Another proposal in 1920 included a "rapid transit on surface" for Eastlake Avenue, terminating at 14th Avenue NE in the University District; the proposal's recommendation of a subway system was not acted upon by city leaders at the time.[23]

The

Burke Museum.[24] The plan was put before voters on two occasions, in February 1968 and May 1970, and failed to gain the needed supermajority to pass.[25]

In the 1990s, the formation of a regional

transit authority (RTA) spurred the planning of a modern light rail system for Seattle. In 1995, the transit authority proposed a regional light rail system to be built by 2010, including an at-grade or underground light rail line through the University District with a station near The Ave.[26] The RTA proposal was rejected by voters in March 1995, citing its $6.7 billion price. A smaller, $3.9 billion plan was approved in November 1996,[27] with the University District as its northern terminus; an extension north to Northgate via Roosevelt was deferred until additional funding could be secured.[28]

Planning

The RTA, re-branded as Sound Transit, selected a preferred route for the light rail line in 1999. The northern terminus was to be located on the east side of 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 45th Street, and the line would travel south via a tunnel under Portage Bay towards Downtown Seattle and Rainier Valley, ending at the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.[29] Cost over-runs and withheld funding from the federal government led Sound Transit to truncate its initial light rail line to Downtown in 2001, with the segment north to the University District to be built at a later date.[30] In 2004, Sound Transit selected a route for tunneled light rail extensions through Capitol Hill and the University District and towards Northgate, using the Montlake Cut and including a station in the vicinity of Brooklyn Avenue NE and NE 45th Street.[31]

Only the southernmost segment of the revised route, from Downtown to

University Link Extension". The northern segment to Northgate was split into a separate project, "North Link", and was included on the 2007 Roads and Transit ballot measure, which was put before voters in November 2007. The combined $18 billion proposal was rejected, with environmentalist groups disavowing it over the roadworks portion that sought to expand regional freeways.[32] A second, transit-only measure known as "Sound Transit 2" was approved by voters in November 2008, securing funding for a light rail extension to Northgate.[33] The North Link project was approved by the Sound Transit Board in June 2012, setting a $2.1 billion budget and expected completion date of 2021.[34]

The 15th Avenue Northeast site for the University District's station was rejected in favor of an option on Brooklyn Avenue. The placement of the Brooklyn station, either on the north or south side of NE 45th Street, was debated by the Sound Transit Board in 2004. Seattle mayor

downtown building in 2006, and sold the Brooklyn building to the University of Washington,[37]
and the staging areas remained available.

During the planning process, the station was referred to as "Brooklyn", after the street and historic name of the neighborhood. Sound Transit adopted the name "U District" in 2012, after input from public surveys; the abbreviation of "University" was done to avoid re-using the name alongside the University of Washington station at Husky Stadium. The agency also received public comments recommending renaming of the University Street station in Downtown Seattle, to avoid confusion with the stations at U District and University of Washington.[38][39] University Street station is planned to be renamed to Union Street/Symphony station in 2024 as part of preparations for the opening of the 2 Line.[40][41]

Construction and opening

External videos
video icon Simulation of construction stages (Sound Transit)
Excavation in June 2015

The contract for tunneling and station construction on the project, since renamed the "

pilings in the station box was completed from April to August 2014,[45][46] leading to the start of excavation the following month.[47] By the completion of excavation the following summer, over 135,000 cubic yards (103,000 m3) of dirt was removed from the site to reach a depth of 95 feet (29 m).[48] Concrete pouring of the station box began in July 2015, to prepare for the arrival of two tunnel boring machines (TBMs).[49]

The first of the two TBMs to arrive at U District station was "Brenda" on November 6, 2015, completing the northbound tunnel from Northgate via Roosevelt station.[50] The second TBM, "Pamela", arrived later than expected on March 25, 2016, after stopping 650 feet (200 m) north of the station because of damage to the cutterhead and other parts that forced reduced speed to complete the southbound tunnel.[51][52] "Brenda", since renamed "TBM #1",[53] finished both of the remaining tunnels to University of Washington station in March 2016 and September 2016.[54]

In March 2017, the Sound Transit Board awarded a $159.8 million contract to

Hoffman Construction to build U District station, including structural and architectural finishes.[55][56] Station construction began in August 2017 and is scheduled to last until 2020.[57] A design change approved in October 2018 added a set of stairs between the mezzanine and platform due to escalator issues at other stations.[58] Construction of the station was declared substantially complete in February 2021 and street access on Brooklyn Avenue was restored two months later.[59][60] Light rail service at the station began on October 2, 2021, and was celebrated with a street fair on Brooklyn Avenue along with live performances and food walk on University Way.[61][62] The opening of a bus-only lane on Northeast 43rd Street, serving a bus bay at the station's south entrance, was delayed to June 2022 due to the discovery of underground utilities during construction and supply chain issues.[63][64] Sound Transit estimates that there will be 12,000 daily boardings at the station in 2030.[2]

Station layout

Street level Exits A and B, ticket vending machines, bicycle storage
Mezzanine level No elevator access
Platform
level
Northbound 1 Line toward Northgate (Roosevelt)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Southbound 1 Line toward Angle Lake (University of Washington)

U District station is located on the east side of Brooklyn Avenue Northeast between Northeast 43rd and 45th streets. The underground station has two entrances: the north entrance (Exit A) near 45th and adjacent to the

ticket vending machines, elevators to the platforms, and both stairs and escalators leading to the mezzanine level.[4] The south entrance also has 52 bicycle storage spaces in a covered cage with a bicycle pump, while the north entrance has bicycle racks and lockers.[67] The mezzanine leads to two sets of escalators and stairs that travel down to the lone island platform, located 85 feet (26 m) below the surface.[4][68]

The station was designed by

Brooklyn, New York,[72] primarily uses hammered aluminum for the fixtures, which includes windows with screens that display 18 hours of looping videos, fire escapes, and rooflines.[73][74]

Services

The south entrance of U District station and its adjacent bus bay

The station is served by the 1 Line, which runs between Northgate, Downtown Seattle, the Rainier Valley, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. U District station is the second southbound station from Northgate and sixteenth northbound station from Angle Lake, the line's northern and southern termini, respectively. It is situated between Roosevelt and University of Washington stations. 1 Line trains serve U District station twenty hours a day on weekdays and Saturdays, from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.; and eighteen hours on Sundays, from 6:00 a.m. to midnight. During regular weekday service, trains operate roughly every eight to ten minutes during rush hour and midday operation, respectively, with longer headways of fifteen minutes in the early morning and twenty minutes at night. During weekends, 1 Line trains arrive at U District station every ten minutes during midday hours and every fifteen minutes during mornings and evenings. The station is approximately five minutes from Northgate station, eight minutes from Westlake station in Downtown Seattle, and 44 minutes from SeaTac/Airport station.[75]

U District station is also served by several

RapidRide J Line, planned to open in 2026, will begin at the station and connect to Eastlake and South Lake Union.[77]

References

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  4. ^ a b c d Lindblom, Mike (September 29, 2021). "New U District light-rail station reorders how people move through the neighborhood". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  5. ^ Growing Transit Communities Oversight Committee (October 2013). "Brooklyn (U District): Future Light Rail/Bus" (PDF). The Growing Transit Communities Strategy. Puget Sound Regional Council. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  6. ^ "Light Rail Review Panel Approved Meeting Minutes: U District Station" (PDF). Seattle Design Commission. January 7, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
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External links