Sound Transit begins construction of Northgate light rail station

Architectural rendering of Northgate station
Courtesy Sound Transit

The elevated Northgate Station will be located east of 1st Ave NE, spanning NE 103rd St. Station entrances will be on the Northgate Mall property north of NE 103rd Street and near the Northgate Transit Center south of NE 103rd Street.

This station will provide access to Northgate Mall, bus transfers at the transit center, adjacent park-and-ride facilities, North Seattle Community College and nearby homes and businesses.

Sound Transit has begun construction of its Northgate light rail station, one of three stations set to open in 2021 with the completion of the Northgate Link Extension.

"The Northgate Station turns parking into affordable housing for low-income families, and creates a vibrant transit hub that serves people, and businesses large and small," said Sound Transit Boardmember and Seattle City Councilmember Rob Johnson. 

"This project is evidence of the amazing community-driven results from creative collaboration among many partners – Sound Transit, the City of Seattle, King County and neighborhoods."

Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff commented that

"Within a few years this station will enable many thousands more riders each day to take advantage of fast and reliable travel through some of the most congestion-choked areas of our region."

Construction includes an elevated station at Northgate that will straddle Northeast 103rd Street just east of First Avenue Northeast. Trains traveling in 3.5-mile twin tunnels north to and from the University of Washington Station at Husky Stadium will stop at underground stations in the U District and Roosevelt neighborhoods, exit the tunnels at First Avenue Northeast and Northeast 95th and transition to a 0.8-mile elevated guideway to reach the station.

The work includes building a transit island, located below the south end of the station platform between Northeast 100th and Northeast 103rd Streets, for convenient light rail and bus connections and a parking garage at the northeast corner of Northeast 103rd Street and First Avenue Northeast that will provide 450 stalls for transit users.

Ample bicycle parking is also planned at the station, which is also designed for a future mezzanine connection from the City of Seattle's planned pedestrian and bike bridge across I-5. Once open, the station will also provide convenient access to Northgate Mall for shoppers and mall employees.

Riders using Northgate Station will enjoy seven-minute rides to Husky Stadium, 14-minute rides to downtown and 47-minute rides to Sea-Tac Airport.

The $1.9 billion Northgate Link project extends light rail 4.3 miles north from the University of Washington to a station next to the King County Northgate Transit Center. During construction, Sound Transit will maintain current parking capacity at the park-and-ride lot.

King County and the City of Seattle will invest $20 million in transit-oriented development (TOD), including affordable housing, on land owned by King County Metro Transit at the Northgate Transit Center next to the park-and-ride. The TOD will include 200 units of housing for low-income families, as well as retail, commercial and office development on a four-square- block parcel bounded by Northeast 103rd and Northeast 100th streets.

More information on the Northgate Link Extension here. This page has a video of the entire Lynnwood Link route from Northgate to Lynnwood.