LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Sound Transit broke ground Tuesday on its latest light rail extension, an 8.5-mile, four-stop extension north to the Snohomish County community of Lynnwood.
When it opens in 2024, the extension promises riders the ability to travel from Lynnwood to downtown Seattle in 28 minutes, and will see trains every 4 to 6 minutes, according to MyEdmondsNews.com. The $2.9 billion project includes $1.2 billion in funding from the Federal Transit Administration, along with a $658 loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Elected officials including Gov. Jay Inslee, U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and U.S. Reps Rick Larsen and Suzan DelBene were on hand for the groundbreaking, along with Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff.
And highways have an estimated life of 20-25 years. I think that we all know that no highway lasts 20 years before needing major refurbishment. The rail lines will last much longer with only periodic maintenance.
Highway construction costs are tens of millions of dollars per LANE mile.
$300 million a mile! What a bargain!
I don’t know the rail map in the Seattle area. Judging by the website this route is parallel to I-5 for the entire extension. That is, it is all new construction and is not a “rebuilt” freight right of way.
Add the cost of acquiring the additional property for more lanes a cost that is seldom mentioned & it probably exceeds the LR cost. I was in Seattle last month at rush hours the trains are packed to the doors even off peak it is hard to find a seat unless you get on at an end point.