tunnelling-journal (1)
tunnelling-journal (1)
  • Home
  • Print
    • Subscribe
    • Tunnelling Journal
    • Breakthrough
    • ITA Activity Report
    • A&NZ Journal
    • WTC Preview
    • Media Kit
  • Digital
    • Newsletter
    • E-Shots
    • TJ Digital edition
    • Products Page
    • Media Kit
  • Conferences
    • BTS Conference and Exhibition
    • Cutting Edge 2023
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • Events Diary
  • Jobs
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Podcast

Home > Sound Transit completes construction of East Link Bellevue tunnel

Sound Transit completes construction of East Link Bellevue tunnel

Tris Thomas

Written by Tris Thomas on 20/08/2020 in News

Tagged:

Seattle’s Sound Transit has announced that contractors have substantially completed the civil construction of the tunnel that will connect the East Main and Bellevue Downtown stations when East Link begins operating in 2023.

east link tunnel 201908

‘Ten years from planning, through excavation to substantial completion, this tunnel represents Sound Transit’s commitment to a local plan that prioritized the best transit connection through downtown Bellevue,” said Sound Transit board member and King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci.

Excavation of the one-third of a mile-long tunnel began in 2017 using the sequential excavation method (SEM), crews employed conventional equipment including track-mounted excavators and cutting equipment to remove soil in small sections, and support excavated areas with spray-applied concrete. Crews then applied waterproofing, and constructed the centre wall and final concrete lining.

Atkinson Construction excavated and constructed the tunnel. By adapting to different ground conditions, they were able to complete excavation five months earlier than expected, which helped keep the project on schedule despite delays due to COVID-19. Stacy and Witbeck/Atkinson, the stations contractor for the segment of East Link that runs from downtown Bellevue to the Spring District, is continuing to install track inside the tunnel.

When East Link light rail service begins, eastbound trains will enter the tunnel north of the East Main station at 112th Avenue Southeast and Main Street and travel approximately one-third of a mile, under 110th Avenue Northeast and turning east near Northeast Sixth Street to emerge at the future Bellevue Downtown Station.

“Working together, the city council, community and Sound Transit developed an alignment that works not only for the Bellevue community, but also for the commuters who will come to work in Bellevue,” said Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson. “I’m excited to ride this beautiful route through the Eastside.”

“East Link’s opening in 2023 will be preceded in 2021 by Northgate Link and in 2022 by the Tacoma Link Hilltop Extension. One year later, in 2024, we will extend Link to downtown Redmond, Lynnwood and Federal Way,” said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. “These historic investments will finally give us the true mass transit network the Puget Sound region has sought for more than a half century. They will more than double our current reach and simultaneously help fuel our region’s economic recovery.”

East Link will extend light rail 14 miles from downtown Seattle to downtown Bellevue and the Overlake area of Redmond via I-90, with 10 stations. Following the 2023 opening of the project, in 2024 Link light rail will extend another 3.4 miles east to new stations in Southeast Redmond and downtown Redmond.

Comments:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Digital Edition

More Like This

18/08/2023

Robbins Single Shield completes Turkish Rail tunnel

Robbins Single Shield completes Turkish Rail tunnel

June 2023 saw an 8m diameter Robbins Single Shield complete its second tunnel on Turkey’s Bahçe-Nurdaği Railway. The machine completed…

04/04/2023

TERRATEC EPBMs launched for Surat Metro

TERRATEC EPBMs launched for Surat Metro

TERRATEC has announced the launch of another EPBM for the Surat Metro in India. This unit is a refurbished 6.61m…

03/05/2023

Snowy 2.0 reschedules delivery following program delays

Snowy 2.0 reschedules delivery following program delays

Snowy Hydro’s management team has announced that it is working towards resetting the delivery timeline and budget for the Snowy…

  • Contact Us
  • Media Kit
  • Magazine Archive

Newsletter

The latest from the Tunneling Journal direct to your inbox.

Social



Enquiries

TGS Media Ltd
The Old Library
Webster House
Dudley Road
Tunbridge Wells
TN1 1LE
United Kingdom

© Tunnelling Journal. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions. Admin

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more