Construction progress marks anniversary of Lynnwood Link extension ground breaking

Girders join Northgate Link to Lynnwood Link
Photo courtesy Sound Transit

One year after the groundbreaking event for Lynnwood Link Extension, the construction teams have made rapid progress on the project. Civil construction is already more than 15 percent complete, and the project reached a milestone last week when its southernmost girders were joined to the northernmost segment of the Northgate Link Extension project.

"Anyone who travels along I-5 has seen the remarkable changes to the landscape that we’ve been making as the project advances," said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. 

"The shape of the alignment becomes clearer with each passing day. The completed extension will be a game-changer for anyone traveling between King and Snohomish Counties."

Among the construction progress made to date:

• More than 170 drilled shafts have been completed, leaving just 15 to finish.
• More than 85 of the project’s 188 columns are complete.
• More than 25 girder spans are finished.
• The beginning of September, the southernmost girders were installed joining the Lynnwood and Northgate projects. Photos of the joining are available online. A time-lapse video of girders being erected in Lynnwood is also available online.

Photo courtesy Sound Transit

By 2024 Lynnwood Link and other extensions currently under construction will more that double the length of the region’s light rail system. After Lynnwood opens in 2024 riders will enjoy fast, frequent and reliable service between south Snohomish County, the University of Washington, downtown Seattle, the Eastside, Sea-Tac Airport and Federal Way. The extension includes four new stations serving Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline and Seattle.

Stacy and Witbec / Kiewit / Hoffman JV and Skanska Constructors L300 JV is executing the civil construction on the extension. The $2.9 billion project budget includes up to $1.17 billion from a Full Funding Grant Agreement executed by the FTA.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau executed a $658 million low-interest loan supporting the project. That loan was one of four loans captured in a Master Credit Agreement reached between Sound Transit and the USDOT at the end of 2016. The one-of-its-kind agreement should save regional taxpayers between $200 million and $300 million through lower interest costs.

Lynnwood Link light rail service is scheduled to begin in 2024. Commuters from the Lynnwood Transit Center will enjoy 20-minute rides to the University of Washington, 27-minute rides to downtown Seattle and 60-minute rides to Sea-Tac Airport. Trains from Lynnwood will also serve the Eastside and reach downtown Bellevue in 51 minutes.