Sound Transit is now one step closer to constructing its planned University Link light rail route, and this step came in under budget.
Sound Transit's Board of Directors approved a contract Thursday to construct the twin-bored tunnels that will take light rail trains from downtown to the planned Capitol Hill station. The contract is worth $153.5 million, approximately 12 percent below Sound Transit's original cost estimate for the project.
University Link is the next phase of Sound Transit's light rail system and is currently due for completion in December 2016. The line will connect downtown Seattle with the University of Washington, with a station in Capitol Hill. By 2030, University Link is projected to see 70,000 boardings daily.
The winning bid was submitted by JCM U-Link Joint Venture earlier this year in a competitive bidding process. The contract includes a 10 percent contingency, meaning Sound Transit could be on the hook for as much as $168.9 million. However, that is still $42 million less than the amount set aside for the tunnel section in the University Link capital budget.
The contract binds JCM to construct the tunnel segment, estimated at 3,800 feet in length, from downtown to the future Capitol Hill Station. The tunnel segment is only part of the University Link line and does not include the section of the route from Capitol Hill to the University of Washington.
The board also approved its 2010 State Legislative Program at its Thursday meeting, which set the agency's lobbying priorities for the upcoming legislative session.
Among the proposals Sound Transit seeks to advocate for in Olympia this year:
- Expand the boundaries of the Regional Transit Authority District to include unincorporated areas that are annexed into a local jurisdiction that is already within the district.
- Support state policies that allocate future tolling revenue to transit.
- Secure matching funds for the controversial I-90 R8A HOV lane project, which is a necessary prerequisite for adding light rail to the center roadway for the planned East Link rail extension.
- Support legislative proposals that will promote transit-oriented development (TOD) that could increase ridership. Presumably this would include a planned sequel to last year's failed TOD bill, HB 1490. (Check Northwest Hub later this week for more coverage of ongoing efforts to secure state support for TOD.)
