Sound Transit announcement.
Construction is occurring throughout the Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension project area. Crews are finishing the roadway restoration, working on station finishes, adjusting utilities, paint striping on the street, systems testing and installing crosswalks in various locations along the Hilltop Tacoma Link project area. Please allow for extra travel time to get to your destination and follow detour signage. For details of the traffic control affects, please scroll down to the “Where” section.
Access is open to hospitals, medical centers and the emergency department during construction.
Please support your local businesses during construction and stay Loyal to the Local!
What
Continued construction and traffic restrictions along Stadium Way, N. 2nd Street, Division Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Way and the Dome District
When
Nov. 7 Update. Work will occur during the day and nighttime hours.
Where
Entire project area:
- Rail grinding is now scheduled to start as early as Nov. 6 and will last through late November. This work will occur at night, involving a slow-moving operation along the alignment. The construction will lead to traffic control in grinding areas, sparks coming from the machine and noise from the operations. There will be no parking signs along the corridor for this construction area.
- The city and Sound Transit walked the project area and found “punch list” work, which will require directional closures of MLK Way to make the repairs. The contractor has scheduled the work in sections from 6th Street to 9th Street, 9th Street to 12th Street and 15th Street to 19th Street in each direction. Each section will take about four days to complete. Signage will be posted to show the areas of closures with dates. Work will include track slab repair, sidewalk repair and other types of concrete repair.
- Daytime and nighttime track testing, electrical testing, light installation, decorative sidewalk cutting, station drainage installation and overhead wiring work for the future light rail system will be occurring in various locations along the alignment during the week (Commerce St., Stadium Way, N. 1st St., Division Ave., and MLK Jr. Way). During this construction, the contractor has obtained a nighttime noise variance and will need to temporarily remove parking and shift traffic, to support a safe working area.
- The Tacoma Link is now back in service! The T Line train will be turning around temporarily at 7th and Commerce, until we start testing later this year. Please make sure to stay within the parking lanes to not impede T Link vehicle access.
- Final road and parking lane striping in various areas will occur at a future date, due to the fall/winter weather. Crews will schedule when the weather allows.
Dome District: - Westbound E. 25th Street, between G and K streets, will be closed for restoration of the roadway. The roadway is open, but there is still landscaping and road striping to be done later, weather allowing.
- East 26th Street will have a full closure from G Street to D Street for utility work, as early as Nov. 8th though late Nov. 23rd. East 26th Street, between F Street and D Street, will be open to local access for businesses.
Commerce/Stadium Way:
- S. 7th Street and Commerce Street intersection is open to two-way traffic. Light rail operations will be using the intersection to turn switch tracks. This will be in place until pre-revenue testing later this year. A traffic flagger will be present during this timeframe. The terminus location for the T Line in the interim will be the Commerce Street Station, found at 11th Street and Commerce.
Stadium District (N. E St., N 1st St., Division Ave.):
- N. Tacoma Avenue and N. 1st Street intersection/corner/crosswalk work started on Oct. 17. As this work occurs, the crosswalks will need to be closed to restore the sidewalk, ramps and utilities. Vehicle and sidewalk access will be maintained. Business access will be supported, but there will be sidewalk closures in various areas. Please follow traffic control signage for detours. Parking will also need to be removed near work areas. Some of the work will require lane closures to N. Tacoma Avenue and N. 1st Street. This work will occur seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., through mid-November. The closures have moved to the south corners of N. Tacoma Avenue and N. 1 Street. This work is scheduled to be completed by mid-November. This work will also have to close just south of the N. 1st Street intersection. Parking will need to be removed from the area and detours will be in place during this work.
- Westbound N. 1st Street bike lane and N. Yakima Avenue will have the sidewalk and bike lane closed for sidewalk repair. This work will be the intersection at N. Yakima Avenue and Division Avenue will reopen as early as Oct. 28. This work received a noise variance to work seven days a week, starting at 7 a.m.
- N. J Street full closure at Division Avenue through mid-November.
- N. 2nd Street from N. Yakima Avenue and I Street full street closure. This work closed N. 2nd Street between N. I Street and N. Yakima Avenue. Alley access will be closed during this work, as it is expected to take about 2-3 weeks.
- Future street closures:
- Northbound I Street at N. 2nd Street will be closed, starting as early as Nov. 11, for two weeks. The contractor will need to come back to the Yakima Avenue and N. 2nd Street intersection for final restoration after the new year.
Hilltop/MLK Jr. Way:
- Northbound MLK, from 5th Street to 3rd Street, is scheduled to reopen early next week.
- Northbound MLK, from Division Avenue to 3rd Street, is closed for restoration work. This work will continue through mid-November.
- The city and Sound Transit walked the project area and have found “punch list” work that will require directional closures of MLK to make the repairs. The contractor has scheduled the work in sections from 6th Street to 9th Street, 9th Street to 12th Street and 15th Street to 19th Street in each direction. Each section will take about 4 days to complete. Signage will be posted to show the areas of closures with dates. Work will include track slab repair, sidewalk repair and other types of concrete repair.
- Future street closures:
- Crews will be working on MLK Jr. Way and Earnest S. Brazill Street to install drainage along the future light rail trackway. Work will require a full closure of the intersection. This will take about six days of work and will be completed at a future date.
