University Link is a 3.15 mile light rail extension that will run in twin-bored tunnels from Downtown Seattle north to the University of Washington, with stations at Capitol Hill and on the University of Washington campus near Husky Stadium.
University Link will serve the three largest urban centers in the state of Washington – Downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill and the University District. By 2030, the University Link line alone is projected to add 70,000 boardings a day to the light rail system.
University link construction is being paid for by a combination of federal grants, MVET, and local sales tax (.4%). The total cost for University Link is $1.9 Billion.
Project Status:
Sound Transit has completed the Environmental Impact Study, real estate acquisition and final design work on University Link. Construction began on the two stations and tunnel track in 2009. Construction will continue over the next seven years until University link opens for service in 2016.
Tunnel Boring Machine 101:
The first step in tunnel construction was excavating the station boxes from the surface, which are 65 and 110 feet deep. After the station boxes were constructed, the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) were launched. These machines are similar to the one used to dig the Link light rail Beacon Hill tunnel.
Two tunnel boring machines will simultaneously work south from the University of Washington Station. At the Capitol Hill Station, one will work south to connect to the north end of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. When it reaches the downtown tunnel wall, the TBM will be removed, reassembled and relaunched from Capitol Hill Station to dig the second tunnel.
A few facts:
Each TBM is 21 feet in diameter, about 330 feet long (the length of a football field) and weighs at least 679,000 pounds.
The TBM's will excavate an average of approximately 44 to 50 feet of tunnel per day.
18 months - the approximate tunneling time to connect the Westlake Station downtown to Capitol Hill and UW.
TBMs also place the concrete rings that form the exterior structure of the tunnel as they progress.
For more info on U-Link TBMs, check out the fact sheet.
What's with the names?
Just as captains name their boats, tunneling contractors name their TBMs. The two TBMs that are digging from UW to Capitol Hill are named Togo and Balto. Not surprisingly, they're named after famous Huskies - the four-legged kind. "Togo" and "Balto" were canine heroes of a grueling sled dog relay to deliver medicine 674 miles from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska during a diphtheria outbreak in 1925. This amazing journey is commemorated each year with the Iditarod sled dog race. Our "dawgs" have a shorter trip (approximately two miles) but also under challenging conditions. The TBMs will operate between 100 and 300 feet underground and up to almost five times normal air pressure!
The Capitol Hill TBMs that is connecting the neighborhood to the north end of the Downtown Transit Tunnel is named Brenda.
The underground Capitol Hill Station will be built just east of Broadway Avenue and south of East John Street, beneath Nagle Place and adjoining properties (site plan). This station will serve the densely populated neighborhood and the Broadway business district, as well as Seattle Central Community College, Group Health Medical Center and other nearby employers. Locating the station east of Broadway and west of Cal Anderson Park reduces construction disruptions in the Broadway business district and the recently developed park.
The Capitol Hill station includes three station entrances: a north entrance on the east side of Broadway at the corner of East John Street, a west entrance on the west side of Broadway just south of East Denny Way, and a south entrance at the corner of East Denny Way and Nagle Place.
These station entrances will be further studied in final design to enhance station access and circulation.
By the year 2030, the Capitol Hill Station will serve 14,000 daily riders.
Public Art
Two artists will create works for the station; Mike Ross for the platform level of the station and Ellen Forney for the station entrances. More information on their ideas for the station.
Transit Oriented Development
Sound Transit has begun a TOD work program to carefully consider the opportunities and constraints at work for parcels to be redeveloped following construction of the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station.
The underground University of Washington Station (aerial view, plan view), adjacent to Husky Stadium, will provide regional access to the University of Washington campus and UW Medical Center, nearby sports venues and surrounding neighborhoods. The entrance to the underground station will be located adjacent to Husky Stadium. A grade-separated pedestrian bridge over Montlake Boulevard will provide a direct connection to the upper campus and the Burke-Gilman Trail and minimize conflicts between pedestrians and bicyclists.
By the year 2030, approximately 25,000 riders will board light rail trains at the University of Washington Station.
Public Art
Local Artist and UW graduate Leo Saul Berk has been commissioned to create a unique work of art integrated into the structure of the University of Washington Station. His concept is to create an underground planetarium by cutting an artist-designed hatch pattern into the back-lit metal walls of the station interior.
