Sound Transit announcement.
Construction activities are occurring throughout the Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension project area that include crews continuing to finish the roadway restoration, working on station finishes, adjusting utilities, paint striping on the street, systems testing, installing crosswalks and cutting decorative sidewalks in various locations along the Hilltop Tacoma Link project area.
As the holidays come closer, the contractor is working on finishing up civil work in the business districts. During the holidays, the contractor will focus outside the districts and return in the new year to complete restoration. Testing of the system and vehicles along the project area will continue in the November/December months. These construction activities and schedule are dependent on weather. Please allow for extra travel time to get to your destination and follow detour signage. For details of the traffic control impacts, please scroll down to the “Where” section.
Access is open to hospitals, medical centers and the emergency department during construction.
Please support your local businesses during construction and stay Loyal to the Local!
What
Continued construction and traffic restrictions along Stadium Way, N. 2nd Street, Division Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Way and the Dome District.
When
November 23rd Update: Work will occur during the day and nighttime hours.
Where
Entire project area:
- Daytime and nighttime track testing, electrical testing, light installation, decorative sidewalk cutting and overhead wiring work for the future light rail system will be occurring in various locations along the alignment during the week (Commerce Street, Stadium Way, N. 1st Street, Division Ave., and MLK Jr. Way). During this construction, the contractor has obtained a nighttime noise variance. They will need to temporarily remove parking and shift traffic, to maintain a safe working area.
- Surveyors will be along the corridor testing the track geometry to prepare for light rail vehicle operation. The contractor has obtained a noise variance to complete this work at night through Dec. 2.
- A truck will be pulling a light rail vehicle along the corridor in a “dead car tow” as early as Dec. 5.
- The contractor has obtained a noise variance to start at 8 a.m. on weekends at the Old City Hall Station, NE 4th Station, Stadium District Station and Tacoma General Station to finish installation of handrails at the stations.
- Directional street closures will occur between MLK, N. 1st, Stadium and Division at certain station locations for gutter and downspout installation. Parking will need to be removed in the area during these closures.
- The Tacoma Link is now back in service! The T Line train will be turning around temporarily at 7th and Commerce, until we start testing later this year. Please make sure to stay within the parking lanes to not impede T Link vehicle access.
- Final road and parking lane striping in various areas will occur at a future date, due to the fall/winter weather. Crews will schedule when the weather allows.
Dome District:
- Westbound E. 25th Street, between G and K streets, is now open. Future work will be scheduled later, for concrete panel repairs in the area.
- East 26th St, from G Street to D Street, is closed for utility work. This work is scheduled to reopen on Nov. 23. F Street to D St. will be open to local access for businesses.
Commerce/Stadium Way:
- S. 7th Street and Commerce St. intersection is open to two-way traffic. Light rail operations will be using the intersection to turn switch tracks. This will be in place until pre-revenue testing later this year. A traffic flagger will be present during this timeframe. The terminus location for the T Line in the interim will be the Commerce Street Station, found at 11th Street and Commerce.
Stadium District (N. E St., N 1st St., Division Ave.):
- Southbound Stadium Way, between 705 and Broadway, will be fully closed as early as Nov. 21 for tree trimming and other work. There will be a shift on Northbound Stadium Way where the I-705 intersection will lead into Division Ave. They will reopen Southbound Stadium Way, during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It will need to close again on November 28th, and will be completed during the second week of December. Once this work is finished, the bike lane will be reopened. This work is pending Tacoma Ave. opening to two-way traffic.
- S. 4th Street, between Broadway and Stadium Way, will close as early as Dec. 5 for demolition, restoration and sidewalk repairs. This work is expected to be completed in mid-December.
- 2nd Street at Division Avenue is closed for roadway restoration for flatwork and roadway restoration. J Street will remain open. This will reopen for the holidays.
- Northbound I Street full closure at 2nd Street and will last through late-November. Traffic will be able to turn southbound on I Street from the east on N 2nd Street. The contractor will need to return in the new year to complete the I Street and N. 2nd Street intersection, as well as the N. 2nd Street and Yakima Street intersection. This will reopen for the holidays.
- Westbound N 1st St Bike Lane will close and a lane shift on Yakima for vaulted sidewalk repair is scheduled to open as early as Nov. 23. This work received a noise variance to work seven days a week, starting at 7 a.m.
Hilltop/MLK Jr. Way:
- Northbound MLK from Division Avenue to 3rd Street is closed for restoration work. They will be put in temporary asphalt at the sidewalk area this week and will return to this area in the new year. Access to Kaiser Permanente driveway will be on 3rd Street until restoration is complete.
- The city and Sound Transit walked the project area and have found “punch list” work that will require directional closures of MLK to make the repairs. The contractor has scheduled the work in sections from 6th Street to 9th Street, 9th Street to 12th Street and 15th Street to 19th Street in each direction. Each section will take about four days to complete. Signage will be posted to show the areas of closures with dates. Work will include track slab repair, sidewalk repair and other types of concrete repair. The contractor will keep traffic open where space allows.
- Future street closures:
- Crews will be working on MLK Jr. Way and Earnest S. Brazill Street to install drainage along the future light rail trackway. Work will require a full closure of the intersection. This will take about six days of work and will be completed at a future date.
- The contractor will have directional closures on MLK, between 15th St. and 19th St., starting as early as November 28th. Their plan is to close southbound MLK first for about 4-5 days, then close northbound MLK for the same amount. Parking will need to be removed in the area during this work.
