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[Sloan]

 

 

Light rail across I-90 floating bridge will be first of its kind; construction begins June 1

 

SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s $3.7 billion project connecting light rail to the Eastside over the I-90 bridge gets started June 1.

http://q13fox.com/20...-begins-june-1/

[CNJRoss]

Sound Transit 5/5/17:

 

 

Project update: East Link Extension

Downtown Bellevue tunneling update

 

 

Excavation of the downtown Bellevue light rail tunnel began in February 2017 and construction crews have been working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on tunnel construction ever since. View the photos below for a peek behind the sound wall and a look at the tunnel progress to date. Visit the East Link Extension Flickr page to view construction progress across the 14 mile project.

 

54-inches in diameter, the large metal pipes provide fresh air ventilation for construction crews working inside the tunnel.

 

Crew members stand at the south tunnel portal entrance, located at 112th Avenue NE and Main Street.

 

Soil is removed with excavation equipment called a roadheader, which features a rotating cutting head.

 

Recently exposed soil is stabilized with pressurized concrete before excavation continues. The steel, rib-like structures forming a ring around the tunnel are called lattice girders and provide additional support.

 

Background

Sound Transit is building a light rail tunnel under downtown Bellevue between the future East Main and Bellevue Downtown stations. The tunnel will be approximately 2,000 feet long or approximately one-third of a mile. The south portal of the tunnel is located at 112th Avenue NE and Main Street and the north portal will be adjacent to City Hall at 110 Avenue NE and NE 6th Street. Construction of the north portal is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2017. Tunnel excavation will take approximately 24 months to complete.

 

Because of the short tunnel length, and to minimize impacts on neighboring homes and businesses, Sound Transit is constructing the tunnel using the Sequential Excavation Method (SEM) rather than a tunnel boring machine or digging a large trench that is later covered. SEM removes soil in small sections or bites using excavation equipment. Once the soil is removed, pressurized concrete, called shotcrete, is sprayed on the tunnel's sides, ceiling and floor. Steel lattice girders are installed to provide additional structural support for the tunnel. SEM minimizes disruptions to surface streets, homes and businesses while also reducing noise and dust. Sound Transit used SEM to successfully dig its Beacon Hill light rail station. Learn more about SEM.

 

For more information

• soundtransit.org/eastlink

 

 

[Sloan]

 

 

Sound Transit East Link Light Rail Construction Photos

http://downtownbelle...ruction-photos/

[CNJRoss]

 

Construction alert: East Link Extension

 

May 10, 2017

 

Preconstruction survey work to begin this week

Beginning the week of May 8, 2017, Sound Transit's contractors will be conducting preconstruction survey work along the light rail alignment between 124th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 20th Street in Bellevue to document existing site conditions and adjacent properties before the start of construction.

 

Survey work includes photo and video documentation of condition of curbs, sidewalks, driveways, ditches, paved areas, landscaping, trees, culverts, headwalls, retaining walls and structures. Survey crews will document surface conditions of building exteriors and interiors pending approval by property owners and tenants in spaces adjacent to the project.

 

What to expect:

• Two surveyors will be on public and private property performing this work.
• Equipment consists of a camera and clipboard.
• Typical work hours are 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Interior building access will be coordinated in advance through property owners and tenants in spaces adjacent to the project.

 

Building demolition to begin during the week of May 15

Demolition crews plan to begin removing buildings at the site of the future Bel-Red / 130th Station beginning as soon as Monday, May 15. Typical construction work hours in the City of Bellevue are 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday.

 

Once demolition is complete at the station site, crews plan to continue demolition of structures in other designated staging locations. Demolition crews will work on sites pictured below intermittently through early summer.

 

 

Construction kick-off open house: June

A construction kick-off open house is planned for June 2017 and will focus on the portion of the East Link light rail project between 124th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 20th Street near the Bel-Red / 130th Station in Bellevue. This is your opportunity to meet the contractor that will build this portion of the East Link light rail project and learn more about construction activities and how to keep informed during construction. Stay tuned for the open house date and location announcement via electronic newsletter.

 

For more information

• soundtransit.org/eastlink

 

•  

 

 

[CNJRoss]

Sound Transit news release:

 

Sound Transit to host public meeting to kick off East Link extension to downtown Redmond

May 15, 2017

 

Public invited to learn about project design, route and timeline

 

 

Sound Transit will hold an open house this week in Redmond about the Downtown Redmond Link Extension, scheduled to open in 2024. 

• Wednesday, May 17, from 5-7 p.m. at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center, 16600 NE 80th St., Redmond

In 2011, Sound Transit completed environmental review and the Board selected the East Link project to be built, including the segment to Downtown Redmond. The 2007-2009 Great Recession reduced the projected tax revenues, and the Downtown Redmond project was suspended until funding could be identified. 

 

Voters approved funding to design and build Link light rail to downtown Redmond in 2016. This project extends Link 3.7 miles along SR 520, from the future Redmond Technology Center station at NE 40th St. to downtown Redmond, with a station and park-and-ride access in southeast Redmond near Marymoor Park. 

 

Over the next year, Sound Transit will update the project design to reflect changes in the community since project adoption and evaluate potential environmental impacts of the proposed design refinements. Construction is expected to begin in 2020, with light rail open for service by 2024. 

 

Members of the public are invited to learn about  conceptual design plans for the southeast and downtown Redmond stations; the route from NE 40 St. to downtown Redmond; the preliminary engineering process and timeline; and upcoming opportunities to provide further input into the project.

 

[CNJRoss]

Sound Transit news release:

 

Sound Transit to host public meeting to kick off construction of South Bellevue section of East Link extension

May 30, 2017

 

Public invited to meet Sound Transit's contractor and learn about light rail construction activities

 

 

Sound Transit will hold an open house tomorrow in Bellevue about the segment of the East Link extension running from the I-90 East Channel Bridge to just south of the future East Main station. East Link will open in 2023.

• Wednesday, May 31, from 5-7 p.m. at the Hilton Bellevue – Skyview Room, 300 112th Ave. SE, Bellevue

This segment of the route will include the South Bellevue Station, and track on elevated guideway, below street level and at street level. The South Bellevue Station will be located at the former South Bellevue Park and Ride. It will include a new parking garage with 1,500 spaces and bus and paratransit transfer facilities.

 

Members of the public can learn about the station, the construction timeline and activities, early construction work, and how to stay informed during construction. Sound Transit project staff and representatives from Sound Transit's contractor, Shimmick/Parsons, will be available to answer questions.

 

Information about East Link, including a computerized animation of the alignment, is available at www.soundtransit.org/eastlink.

 

 

 

[CNJRoss]

 

Construction alert:

 

BelRed

 

 

June 2, 2017

 

BelRed updates: 124th Avenue NE to NE 20th Street

Sound Transit contractors continue to prepare the construction work zone for East Link in the BelRed area between approximately 124th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 20th Street. While demolition of structures within the Sound Transit work zone and pre-construction surveying continue to get underway, additional upcoming activities include:

• Utility disconnections to buildings within the Sound Transit construction work zone - Ongoing
• Clearing trees and understory vegetation to prepare work zones for construction - Ongoing with more visible clearing to begin during the week of 6/5
• Utility pole installation along NE Spring Blvd and 136th Pl NE, and on 130th Ave NE - Beginning as early as the week of 6/12
• Reminder: BelRed Construction Kickoff Open House June 13, 2017

Continue reading for more details on these activities.

 

Utility disconnections to buildings within the Sound Transit construction work zone

Over the next few weeks, Sound Transit’s contractors and third party utility companies will work along roadway at 130th and 132nd Avenues NE, NE Spring Boulevard and 136th Pl NE to perform utility disconnections to structures that will be demolished. In some instances you may see intermittent single-lane closures with traffic control in place to ensure a safe work zone. Demolition of structures will continue into the summer.

 

 

Clearing trees and understory vegetation to prepare work zones for construction

Sound Transit's contractors have begun clearing trees and understory vegetation in the Sound Transit work zone along the corridor in BelRed. The more visible portion of this work will get underway along NE Spring Blvd and 136th Pl NE during the week of June 6. Trees located where the light rail route or roadway will exist need to be removed in order to build the project. Sound Transit has worked closely with the City of Bellevue and Washington State Department of Ecology in development, review and approval of plans for clearing trees and understory vegetation.

 

The preservation of trees to the maximum extent feasible has been a primary project goal throughout project design and into construction. Throughout the corridor, trees that are in close proximity to the work zone but not negatively impacted by construction or light rail operations will be preserved with protective fencing.

 

For the East Link project in the BelRed area from about 124th Avenue Northeast to Northeast 20th Street, Sound Transit is replanting trees in an approximate ratio of three new trees for every tree removed. Plantings are prioritized for areas as close as possible to their removal location. In this area, new plantings will be focused in the Kelsey Creek West Tributary site and as streetscape enhancements along Northeast Spring Boulevard and 136th Place Northeast.

 

Utility pole installation along NE Spring Blvd and 136th Pl NE, and on 130th Ave NE

Beginning during the week of June 12, Puget Sound Energy in coordination with Sound Transit’s contractors, will begin installing temporary and permanent utility poles along NE Spring Blvd and 136th Pl NE, and on 130th Ave NE. More than 30 temporary and permanent utility poles will be installed along the roadways in preparation for East Link light rail heavy civil construction activities in this area to maintain service to utility customers during construction. Temporary poles will be in place for approximately 2.5 years until service is changed over to new permanent service that will be installed as part of this project.

 

What to expect:

• Pole locations vary along the alignment and have been identified intentionally to avoid conflict with other utility infrastructure to be constructed as part of the East Link project.
•  Staking or marking of pole locations will take place over the course of a few weeks in sync with ongoing activation of Sound Transit's temporary construction easements on private property.
• Business access will be maintained.
• Typical work hours are 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
•  Sound Transit is working with power and communications utilities, Puget Sound Energy, Comcast and Century Link to coordinate installation of the utility poles.
• Pole installation work will require temporary adjacent travel lane closures and several visits by utility companies to each pole location as utilities install wire and equipment on the poles. Earthwork and pavement restoration will be required.
• This work is anticipated to continue into mid-summer. 

 

Reminder: BelRed Construction Kickoff Open House June 13, 2017

Join us at an open house on June 13, 2017 to learn more about light rail construction activities between 124th Avenue NE and NE 20th Street in Bellevue. The open house is an opportunity to view display boards and meet members of the project team that will build this portion of the East Link project.

 

Please join us to learn more about:

• East Link and the Bel-Red/130th Station.
• Early construction work, including utility relocation and demolition.
• Maintenance of traffic, specifically on 136th Pl NE and NE Spring Blvd.
• Construction timeline and activities.
• How to stay informed during construction.

When:

Tuesday, June 13, 2017, 5-7 p.m.

Where:

Highland Community Center, Bellevue

14224 Bel-Red Rd, Bellevue, WA 98007

 

For more information

• soundtransit.org/eastlink

 

 

[Sloan]

 

 

Light Rail construction to Eastside set to begin

 

State transportation officials are moving forward with a project now four decades in the making by adding Light Rail service to the Eastside, Sound Transit announced Wednesday. 

http://www.king5.com...begin/452829161

[CNJRoss]

Progressive Railroading, 7/3/17

 

Sound Transit begins building light rail on interstate bridge

The work is part of the agency's 14-mile East Link light-rail extension. Photo – Sound Transit

 

Sound Transit has begun building light rail in the center lanes of the Homer M. Hadley floating bridge across Lake Washington. The work on Interstate 90 is part of the agency's 14-mile East Link light-rail extension project.

Constructing light rail across a floating bridge marks a world-first achievement, Sound Transit officials said in a press release. The track on the bridge was engineered to compensate for six ranges of lake motion, according to the agency.

Construction on the bridge will continue through 2020.  .  .  .

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Sound Transit news release:

 

East Link construction is underway on I-90 bridge across Lake Washington

Jun 28, 2017

 

Light rail will run over a floating bridge for the first time when East Link opens in 2023

 

 

Sound Transit today briefed media on East Link construction that is now underway in the center lanes of the Homer M. Hadley floating bridge across Lake Washington.

 

Building light rail across a floating bridge is a world's-first achievement, made possible by innovative engineering to create a track bridge that will compensate for six ranges of lake motion. A video illustrating the track bridge technology can be viewed at https://www.soundtra...lake-washington.

"In just a few years Eastside light rail riders will be able to cross the floating bridge safely and reliably in about a minute, no matter how congested traffic gets on I-90," said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. "This project, in the making for four decades, moves the region forward in building a critically needed transit connection between Seattle and the Eastside.  Our close partnership with the Washington State Department of Transportation continues to make this vital work possible."

 

Construction on the bridge will continue through 2020, and will include the following activities:

• Demolition of the barrier on the south side of the bridge
• Pontoon post-tensioning to strengthen the bridge
• Seismic retrofitting of the footings and superstructures of the east and west approach structures
• Installations of:
  • an overhead catenary (power) system
  • the track bridge system
  • eastbound and westbound tracks
  • electrical and control systems
  • signals
  • cathodic (stray current) protection
  • traction power substations outside the east portal to the Mount Baker Tunnel and under the east approach structure on the west end of Mercer Island

This summer's construction activities include demolition of the barrier on the south side of the bridge, and work inside the pontoons to prepare for post-tensioning, a process that uses cables to compress the concrete pontoons together to strengthen the bridge.

 

The 7-mile section of the East Link alignment that includes the floating bridge runs from the International District station in downtown Seattle to the East Channel Bridge and encompasses half of the light rail extension's total length. This segment will include two new stations at Judkins Park and Mercer Island. While construction on the bridge surface is limited to the spring and summer months, work will continue year-round in this and all segments across the East Link alignment.

 

East Link will extend light rail 14 miles from downtown Seattle to downtown Bellevue and the Overlake area of Redmond via Interstate 90, with 10 stations. All segments of the East Link extension are now under construction, and the entire line will be operational in 2023. The following year Sound Transit will open a 3.7-mile extension further east to new stations in Southeast Redmond and downtown Redmond under funding approved in November 2016.

 

The Northgate Link light rail extension that is currently under construction will reach Seattle's University District, Roosevelt and Northgate areas in 2021. Additional Link extensions that are nearing construction will reach north to Lynnwood in 2023 and south to Federal Way in 2024. Later extensions to form a 116-mile regional system will reach Everett, Tacoma, West Seattle, Ballard, South Kirkland and Issaquah. By 2040 Sound Transit projects Link trains will carry approximately 600,000 riders each weekday.

 

For more information on the East Link Extension see: www.soundtransit.org/Eastlink.