LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Construction on the $3.1 billion Lynnwood Link Light Rail extension reached the halfway mark on Tuesday, roughly two years after work started.
While the project isn’t expected to open until at least mid-2024, Sound Transit celebrated the milestone. “The remarkable progress we’re making is visible daily for anyone driving along I-5. Considering that most of the work to date has been done during the pandemic, this milestone is a testament to the commitment of the project’s workforce,” CEO Peter Rogoff said.
As of Tuesday, construction on the route’s 188 columns is complete, 530 of 533 girders have been set, rail work has begun in multiple locations and construction on all ten of the route’s bridges is at 80% completion.
Additionally, a new 1,670-stall parking structure at the Lynnwood Transit Center is being built along with two other garages with about 500 spaces each.
The largest garage will be complete in the spring of 2023, more than a year before light rail service reaches Lynnwood.
However, by 2024 the Lynnwood extension and other extensions currently under construction will be complete, more than doubling the length of the region’s light rail system.
Sound Transit recently began testing trains on its eastside extension through Bellevue and into Redmond. That line is expected to open in 2023.
Once the extension opens, commuters from Lynnwood will be able to reach downtown Seattle in 27 minutes at all times of the day.
The construction update comes nearly two months after Sound Transit opened its latest extension with three new stations in Seattle’s University District, Roosevelt and Northgate.
Those looking to ride the light rail can use an ORCA card or buy a ticket at each station.