Landslide, Poor Concrete Supports, Concrete Worker Strike Delay Seattle LRT Openings
Written by Railway Age Staff
Workers are now pulling track on the I-90 floating bridge.
A variety of factors have forced several Sound Transit light rail projects to be delayed, pushing back their openings.
The East Link, Redmond, Lynnwood, and Federal Way LRT extensions are all running late. Perhaps the biggest issue lies on the I-90 floating bridge, where workers are pulling up 4 miles of track because concrete supports were either built to the wrong dimensions or with substandard-quality concrete. Mortar pads, rebar and track fasteners all have problems. The bridge is looking at a 2024 opening.
Problems on Interstate 90 will delay the Redmond extension start time to 2025, and Mother Earth has caused delay of the Federal Way extension. A recent 200-foot landslide was a red flag for engineers. The thought now is the ground is more unstable than originally determined, so pilings need to be sunk deeper into the soil. Work will not be complete until 2025.
Sound Transit said a concrete worker strike has set the opening of the Lynwood extension back to 2025.
“I want to emphasize that every [problem] … is resolvable, that we will open these transformative projects, and we will do so as rapidly as possible with our chief priority being our passengers’ needs for safety, quality and long-term durability,” said Sound Transit interim CEO Brooke Belman.
