Sound Transit on Aug. 30 celebrated the opening of its 8.5-mile Lynnwood Link Extension, which adds four new stations north of the current 1 Line terminus at Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood in Washington state.
The $3.1 billion project provides light rail service between south Snohomish County and the University of Washington, downtown Seattle, the Eastside, Sea-Tac Airport, and more (see map, right).
Sound Transit estimates the extension will accommodate 25,000 to 34,000 daily boardings.
The stations, all of which offer connections to multiple transit modes, are:
- Shoreline South/148th Station: Located just northeast of I-5 at the NE 145th Street exit, this elevated station includes a parking garage with approximately 500 new spaces as part of the project.
- Shoreline North/185th Station: Located on the east side of I-5, this station serves Shoreline Stadium, Shoreline Conference Center and the surrounding neighborhoods. Improved pedestrian pathways connect the station to the west side of I-5, according to Sound Transit. A parking garage with approximately 500 new spaces is part of the project.
- Mountlake Terrace Station: Located east of I-5 at the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center just north of 236th Street Southwest, west of Veterans Memorial Park, this elevated station straddles 236th Street Southwest, and is a short walk from the Mountlake Terrace Library, new city hall, and future transit-oriented development. There are 890 existing parking spaces near the station.
- Lynnwood City Center: Located at the Lynnwood Transit Center, this elevated station serves one of the busiest transit centers in the region, with connections to local and regional service, according to Sound Transit. A new five-story, 1,670 parking-stall garage opened last year.
Voters approved the Lynnwood Link Extension project in 2008. Planning and design began in 2010, with construction kicking off in 2019. Pre-revenue testing started this past June (see Sound Transit video, below).
The extension links riders in south Snohomish County to the University of Washington in 11 minutes, downtown Seattle in 28 minutes, and Sea-Tac Airport in 56 minutes, with future connections to Seattle’s Eastside via the East Link. Trains run every eight minutes during peak hours.
The Lynnwood Link launch marks a shift in light rail fares at Sound Transit, going from a structure based on distance traveled to a $3 flat fare per ride. This means Link riders with an ORCA fare card will no longer need to “tap off” at the end of their ride, according to the agency.
Stacy & Witbeck/Kiewit/Hoffman JV and Skanska Constructors L300 JV executed the civil construction on the Lynnwood Link Extension. Mass Electric completed the systems work, which included the overhead catenary, traction power, signaling, and communications. Northwest Transit Systems Partners, a joint venture of STV and Mott MacDonald, oversaw systems construction, providing technical review, construction management, quality assurance, and inspection services for the project’s traction power, communications, signaling, and train control systems. HNTB served as project manager on all engineering and architectural aspects of the project design and construction support; the company’s approach, including the use of 3-D modeling and delivering design packages early, allowed construction to begin prior to completion of the entire design.
The $3.1 billion project budget included up to $1.17 billion from a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Full Funding Grant Agreement, according to Sounds Transit, which noted that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau provided a $658 million low-interest loan supporting the project, including new LRVs (light rail vehicles) and support facilities. According to Sound Transit, voters in 2016 approved the addition of a light rail station at NE 130th Street in Seattle as part of the ST3 ballot measure. That station will serve a growing residential neighborhood between the Northgate and Shoreline South/148th stations and is scheduled to open in 2026; HNTB is managing its design.
“The opening of Lynnwood Link is a testament to the hard work of the construction teams and Sound Transit staff who have worked for years to make this project a reality,” Sound Transit Interim CEO Goran Sparrman said. “They persevered through the pandemic and a four-month concrete delivery strike to bring us to today’s celebration. Lynnwood Link’s opening also marks a transformative moment in Sound Transit’s history, as we enter Snohomish County. With the openings of the full 2 Line next year and the extension to Federal Way in 2026, we will have more than doubled the size of our system in just a few years, providing the residents of our region great options for easy, efficient travel to even more destinations.”
“FTA is proud to help bring Link light rail to Snohomish County, expanding rapid transit access for hundreds of thousands of residents,” said FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool. “As the Link system continues to grow, it’s now easier than ever to reach UW, downtown, Sea-Tac, and destinations all over the region. Thank you to Sound Transit and all the community partners who delivered on this monumental project.”
“The Lynnwood Link opening marks yet another significant milestone in STV’s ongoing partnership with Sound Transit,” said Bryan Williams, Vice President and Pacific Northwest Area Manager at STV. “We are proud to support multiple transformative projects that will enhance regional connectivity and benefit communities throughout the Seattle metropolitan area.”
“For 25 years, HNTB’s partnership with Sound Transit has been founded on trust, collaboration and a shared commitment to excellence,” said Kris Agers, HNTB’s Washington State Office Leader and Senior Vice President. “We’re pleased to be part of another successful collaboration in delivering innovative design solutions for Sound Transit’s $18 billion capital program.”
“The Northwest Washington Building and Construction Trade affiliates have been proud to be part of the Lynnwood Link project,” said Todd Taylor, Executive Secretary of the Northwest Building and Construction Trades Council. “It provides an essential service to the community, and it provided good paying jobs for the people who built it, as well as training and apprenticeship opportunities. Good things happen when labor and management partner on behalf of our communities.”
In related developments, Sound Transit recently celebrated the opening of the first portion of the Link 2 line, a 6.6-mile light rail route between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations, and last fall launched the 2.4-mile, $282.7 million Hilltop Tacoma light rail extension. The new alignment more than doubled the length of the T Line and runs parallel to former streetcar lines that were shuttered in the 1930s. According to the transit agency, the 2 Line will be expanded to downtown Redmond early next year, followed by the opening of the rest of the 2 Line later in 2025 and the start of service to Federal Way in 2026.
