Sound Transit announcement.
Construction and testing are happening throughout the Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension project area. Crews are continuing the roadway restoration and station finishes, adjusting utilities, testing systems and repairing damages to the concrete and rail along the alignment. Also, the contractor is working on final checklist items, which come up at the end of a project, fixing any issues along the project area.
The construction and work schedule are dependent on weather. Please allow for extra travel time to get to your destination and follow detour signage. For details of the traffic control effects, please scroll down to the “Where” section.
Access to hospitals, medical centers and the emergency department will remain open during construction.
Please support your local businesses during construction. Let’s stay Loyal to the Local!
What
Continued construction and traffic restrictions along Stadium Way, N. 2nd Street, N. I Street, Division Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Way and the Dome District. More details specific to neighborhoods are below.
When
Feb. 24 update: Work will occur throughout both the day and nighttime hours.
Where
Entire project area:
- Rail grinding will occur along the corridor within the next few weeks. This work will take place during the day (off peak) and night for about 1-3 hours at a time. Expect temporary traffic control impacts and grinding noise during the work. Crews will be working at the intersection of:
- MLK Jr. Way, and S. 18th Street.
- MLK Jr. Way, from S. 16th Street to S. 15th Street.
- MLK Jr. Way, from S. 13th Street to S. 12th Street.
- MLK Jr. Way and S. 5th Street.
- MLK Jr. Way and Division Avenue.
- N. 1st Street and Tacoma Avenue (may require lane closures and nighttime work).
- N. 1st St. westbound between Tacoma Avenue and Yakima Avenue (this work will occur during next week’s closure).
- Stadium Way and Division Ave. (will require a southbound closure of Stadium Way and nighttime work. This work will start as early as March 2nd).
- Light rail train and track testing along the HTLE continues. February to April, the contractor will continue to perform various system and vehicle testing.
- Corner closures at signalized intersections along the corridor will occur to install signage and replace damaged signal heads through late February.
- Daytime and nighttime track and light rail vehicle testing, electrical testing, traffic signal modifications, decorative sidewalk cutting, channeling revisions, completing final touches in stations and finishing overhead wiring work for the future light rail system will happen in various locations along the alignment during the week (Commerce Street, Stadium Way, N. 1st Street, Division Avenue and MLK Jr. Way).
- This construction will involve work at night and on weekends. The contractor has obtained a nighttime/weekend noise variance, so they can make more noise than is typically allowed. They will need to temporarily remove parking and shift traffic to support a safe working area. Work will occur at night during the week and start as early as 7 a.m. on the weekends. The noise variance will be in place until the end of March.
- The overhead wires are now fully energized. Although we have wanted the public to treat the wires as if they are live since the installation, the wires are now officially live. Please be aware and coordinate with our project team and operations about any work that needs to happen near the trackway wires.
- The T Line will end at the Commerce Street Station. The train will temporarily turn back at 7th and Commerce, until we start testing in 2023. Please make sure to stay within the parking lanes, to not impede T Line vehicle access.
- Due to the winter weather, final road and parking lane striping in various areas will occur later in the year. Crews will schedule striping when the weather allows (as early as March 20).
Dome District:
- No civil work planned related to the project.
Commerce/Stadium Way:
- Nighttime southbound Stadium Way closure to perform rail grinding starting as early as March 2 – 3.
- Northbound N. 1st St./N. E St./Stadium Way (Stadium Curve), from Tacoma Avenue to Division Avenue, has reopened. A specialized contractor will come back at a future date to inspect the grinded rail.
- See entire project area information for nighttime and weekend work.
Stadium District (N. E St., N. 1st St., Division Ave.):
- Westbound N. 1st St., from Yakima Street to Tacoma Avenue, will be fully closed through Feb. 24 for final repairs and rail grinding. Parking will be removed in the area for these repairs.
- Future street closures:
- Eastbound N. 1st St., from Tacoma Ave. to Broadway Street will be fully closed as early as Feb. 27 through March 1 for final repairs. Parking will be removed in the area for these repairs.
- Northbound I Street, at the east side of N. 2nd St., will be fully closed for roadway restoration as early Feb. 28 through March 13 and on the west side of 2nd Street as early as March 13 through March 24. This work is dependent on final corrections on Division Ave., from MLK to Yakima Ave.
- Tacoma Ave. and N. 1st St. will have a corner closure for the removal of a diesel storage tank with as early as Feb. 23 through March 3. Parking will need to be removed for this work.
- The Yakima Ave. intersection at N. 2nd St. will fully close for roadway restoration in late March 2023. Parking will be affected near the work area.
Hilltop/MLK Jr. Way:
- The permanent signals will be installed at the crosswalk to Tacoma General Hospital at a future date. This work will require closures in both directions.
- The City of Tacoma and Sound Transit found items that need repair by the contractor, while surveying the project area together. This will require short term directional closures of MLK in sections, to support a safe work area. Work will include track slab repair, sidewalk repair and other types of concrete repair. The contractor will keep traffic open where space allows. This work continues to late March.
- S. 15th Street sidewalk between MLK Jr. Way and alley before S. J Street will be closed for final restoration and will reopen as early as Feb. 24.
- The intersection at MLK Jr. Way and S. 13th St. is scheduled for track repair, including demolition of some track, clean-up and potential replacement of rail. This work can take up to two weeks to complete and started on Feb. 6 and will open as early as Feb. 24. Parking will be removed in the northbound direction between just south of S. 13th St. to Earnest S. Brazill Street. This work has been extended to S. 14th Street for parking removal to complete the repair.
- MLK Jr. Way at 6th Avenue, next to the 6th Avenue Station, will have directional street closures through Feb. 24 for final repairs. Parking will be removed during this work and the contractor will try to minimize where possible.
- MLK Jr. Way at S. 9th Street and Earnest S Brazill Street lane and parking lane closures scheduled for Feb. 27. Two-way traffic will remain. Parking and crosswalks in area will be closed near the work area.
- Future street closures:
- Crews will be working on MLK Jr. Way and Earnest S. Brazill Street, installing drainage along the future light rail trackway. Work will require a full closure of the intersection. This will take about 6 days of work and is scheduled to start March/April 2023.
