Sound Transit releases near-final design for Mercer Island’s light rail station

By Katie Metzger • December 12, 2016 4:00 pm
The view of the Mercer Island light rail station from the “east headhouse perspective at 80th Avenue” Southeast. The station will be built in the middle of Interstate 90 between 77th Avenue Southeast and 80th Avenue Southeast, a short walking distance from the Park and Ride and Town Center. Image courtesy of Sound Transit
The view of the Mercer Island light rail station from the “east headhouse perspective at 80th Avenue” Southeast. The station will be built in the middle of Interstate 90 between 77th Avenue Southeast and 80th Avenue Southeast, a short walking distance from the Park and Ride and Town Center. Image courtesy of Sound Transit

Following more than three years of design and public engagement, Sound Transit released its near-final plans for the future East Link Light Rail Station last week. Now that final design has been completed, construction is right around the corner.

The majority of the station will be down at highway level in the center of Interstate 90, with headhouses (including elevators and stairs) up at street level, between 77th Avenue Southeast and 80th Avenue Southeast. The station will include safe bicycle and pedestrian access, secure bicycle parking, passenger drop-off areas and nearby connecting bus service.

Station construction is expected to start in mid-2017 and last for two years, and East Link is projected to open for service in 2023. Sound Transit expects about 2,000 daily station boardings at Mercer Island in 2030. Shortly before construction begins, the existing center roadway express lanes in I-90 will be closed to vehicles, as they will become the rail trackway.

During final design, project architects and engineers defined the light rail system and determined the technical specifications for the stations and track.

The East Link project team sought public feedback at key design milestones. This input was shared and considered with attention to feasibility and design standards.

At the Dec. 5 Mercer Island City Council meeting, Assistant City Manager Kirsten Taylor said that Sound Transit staff presented the design at three Design Commission meetings in 2013, in April, June and October. Sound Transit also hosted a 30 percent design meeting in June 2013.

The Mercer Island city attorney’s office determined that the city did not have regulatory authority over the design in spring 2014, as the project takes place on WSDOT right of way. To make sure the city had some input, it formed the Mercer Island Advisory Group (MIAG) in spring 2014.

Sound Transit hosted a 60 percent design public open house in July 2014 and 90 percent design review with the MIAG in October 2016.

Based on extensive comment from the community and MIAG, revisions to the near-final design include:

• Changes to both entrances

• Changes to the color of the ventilation stacks

• Extended rain canopy over the station platform

• Additional station landscaping

• Screening and landscaping for support structures

Learn more about the complete station design process at www.mercergov.org/Page.asp?NavID=3038, or watch Sound Transit’s narrated presentation on the near-final design at http://d2virlc8fnqkl3.cloudfront.net/video/east-link-extension-mercer-island-final-design-90-percent-12052016.mp4.

Sound Transit will host a “Meet the Contractor” Open House in spring 2017. More information about what to expect during construction will be available soon.

A perspective of the platform canopy, looking east. Image courtesy of Sound Transit

A perspective of the platform canopy, looking east. Image courtesy of Sound Transit

The west headhouse perspective at 77th Avenue Southeast. Image courtesy of Sound Transit

The west headhouse perspective at 77th Avenue Southeast. Image courtesy of Sound Transit