Hill Int’l gets Sound Transit LRT contract

Marlton, N.J.-based Hill International said Monday, Jan. 5, 2015, it has landed a contract from Seattle's Sound Transit (Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority) "to provide design-build project management services in connection with the E360 Segment of the East Link Light Rail project."

Phase I of the contract for pre-construction phase services is for approximately $1.0 million over a one-year period, the company said. Phase II of the contract for construction phase services, if exercised by Sound Transit, is anticipated to have an estimated value to Hill of approximately $21 million over a subsequent four-year period, for a total contract value of approximately $22.0 million.

The E360 Segment, the terminal segment of the East Link Light Rail extension, is a 1.8-mile line stretching from East Bellevue, Wash., to the main Microsoft campus in Redmond, Wash. The alignment includes aerial guideway, at-grade and retained cut sections, and features two new platform stations, two pedestrian bridges and a 300-vehicle parking garage.

The project is estimated to cost up to $250 million, with a completion date of late 2019, Hill International noted.

Hill said it “will provide project management services on the design-build project that will be executed in two phases. During the preconstruction phase (Phase I), Hill will provide support to Sound Transit through the procurement of the design-build contractor, including reviewing and modifying the RFP and design-build contract and reviewing the preliminary designs of the short-listed teams. During the construction phase (Phase II), Hill will continue to provide review services during the development of the design and expand services to include project management, estimating, scheduling, quality control, inspection, safety and commissioning.”

“The impact of the East Link Extension is enormous, as it will provide a reliable connection from the Eastside’s biggest residential and commercial centers to downtown Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport, and the University of Washington,” said Michael B. Smith, senior vice president and western regional manager for Hill’s Project Management Group. “We are honored that Sound Transit has chosen Hill to assist with this important infrastructure project.”