Lynnwood Link project wins two awards

Shoreline North station at 185th
Photo by Pat Deagan

The Northwest Construction Consumer Council (NWCCC) has awarded Sound Transit’s Lynnwood Link Extension project two awards in recognition of the project’s achievements. 

The awards, the Best Public Project over $10 Million and the award for Innovation & Achievement in Sustainability, exemplify excellence in project delivery in the Pacific Northwest. NWCCC’s Distinguished Project Awards program recognizes excellence in the engineering, design and construction of projects completed or nearing completion by NWCCC members during the prior two years.

“We’re honored to have the Lynnwood project and its sustainability accomplishments recognized by leaders in the construction field,” said Terri Mestas, Sound Transit’s Deputy CEO for Capital Delivery. “The outstanding work on this project is a testament to the strong collaboration between the construction teams and Sound Transit staff who labored for years to make this project a reality.”

The Lynnwood Link Extension, which opened on August 30, 2024 added 8.5 miles to the existing 1 Line. The $3.1 billion project includes four stations, one at Lynnwood City Center, one at Mountlake Terrace, and two in Shoreline, as well as three new parking structures. The extension connected the light rail system, which had previously only served King County, with Snohomish County.

The Lynnwood Link Extension project includes a variety of sustainable features. Lynnwood City Center Station and its garage achieved LEEDv4 Gold certification for green building design. 

Key initiatives included low-impact development for stormwater management to upgrade and relocate part of Scriber Creek Trail, drought-tolerant landscaping, salvaged plants and vegetated walls to improve access, reduce flooding and improve site hydrology. 

In addition to the energy and water-efficient designs at Lynnwood City Center Station, the agency also worked with Skanska to pilot the use of low-carbon concrete for the parking garage structure. This effort reduced the carbon content of the most carbon intensive material used by the agency—concrete—by 20% compared to regional averages.

Thanks to the foresight of cities that rezoned near the transit centers, there are currently more than 10,000 units of transit-oriented development adjacent to Lynnwood Link Extension stations.

The Lynnwood Link Extension is the latest example of Sound Transit’s broader sustainability strategy, where all new stations will be certified (at a minimum) to LEED for Transit at the gold level, and the entire alignment will be certified to the Envision green infrastructure certification at the platinum level. 

Additionally, we continue our commitment to clean energy by powering the entire 1 Line, including the Lynnwood extension, with 100% carbon-free electricity.

Stacy & Witbeck/Kiewit/Hoffman L200 JV and Skanska Constructors L300 JV executed the civil construction on the extension. Mass Electric completed the systems work, which included the overhead catenary, traction power, signaling and communications. HNTB-Jacobs, JV did the civil design, and Hatch did the systems design. PGH Wong was responsible for civil construction management and Northwest Transit Systems Partners for systems construction management.

The project budget included up to $1.17 billion from a Full Funding Grant Agreement executed by the Federal Transit Administration. In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau executed a $658 million low-interest loan supporting the project, including new light rail vehicles and support facilities.