LRW Honors Amtrak’s Acheson As Railway Woman Of The Year
From Editor-In-Chief Foran: Of Gender Equity And Inclusion
Spotlight On Some Of Today’s Rail Safety Products
Women of Influence in Rail eBook
Newsletter Sign Up
Stay updated on news, articles and information for the rail industry
Stay updated on news, articles and information for the rail industry
railPrime
Rail News Home
Passenger Rail
Rail News: Passenger Rail
9/25/2002
Rail News: Passenger Rail
Optimism builds as building falls for Seattle's Central Link light rail
advertisement
Federal Transit Administration Sept. 24 approved Sound Transit’s request for a Letter of No Prejudice (LONP), granting the agency permission to proceed with $6.5 million worth of pre-construction activity for Central Link light rail.
Sound Transit has spent the better part of the past two years restructuring itsel,f and refining its financial and communication plans to restore local confidence in Central Link — and regain federal funds that had been put on hold.
Signs of forward progress came slowly, at first, but have been increasing lately. In August, FTA granted Sound Transit permission to begin final design and released $50 million for initial segment construction.
"I can just feel the momentum building," said Board Chair and King County Executive Ron Sims in a prepared statement. "The pieces are falling into place so that when we do receive the Full Funding Grant Agreement — and we will — we’ll be ready to begin construction of this vital piece of the region’s transportation system."
And the agency plans to waste no time getting started.
Tacoma-based R.W. Rhine Inc. Sept. 25 began using heavy equipment to remove one of the buildings on the 25-acre site where Sound Transit plans to build Central Link’s Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Facility.
Additional pre-construction work to be done at the site includes the demolition of several other structures, cleanup of any contamination, and salvage and removal of debris.
Other activities covered by the LOMP include widening of the E-3 Busway, relocating utilities, procuring tactile warning pavers, and performing construction-management services.
Pre-construction work on the O&M facility is scheduled to be complete by spring 2003.
Sound Transit has spent the better part of the past two years restructuring itsel,f and refining its financial and communication plans to restore local confidence in Central Link — and regain federal funds that had been put on hold.
Signs of forward progress came slowly, at first, but have been increasing lately. In August, FTA granted Sound Transit permission to begin final design and released $50 million for initial segment construction.
"I can just feel the momentum building," said Board Chair and King County Executive Ron Sims in a prepared statement. "The pieces are falling into place so that when we do receive the Full Funding Grant Agreement — and we will — we’ll be ready to begin construction of this vital piece of the region’s transportation system."
And the agency plans to waste no time getting started.
Tacoma-based R.W. Rhine Inc. Sept. 25 began using heavy equipment to remove one of the buildings on the 25-acre site where Sound Transit plans to build Central Link’s Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Facility.
Additional pre-construction work to be done at the site includes the demolition of several other structures, cleanup of any contamination, and salvage and removal of debris.
Other activities covered by the LOMP include widening of the E-3 Busway, relocating utilities, procuring tactile warning pavers, and performing construction-management services.
Pre-construction work on the O&M facility is scheduled to be complete by spring 2003.
