University Link Project
I-5 Ramp Closure Update
Capitol Hill Open House
May 7, 2009

Agenda
6:00 PM - Open House
6:30 PM - Presentation
• University Link, Capitol Hill Station and I-5 Construction
– Ron Endlich, Deputy Project Director, Sound Transit
• Q&A
7:30 PM - Return to Open House
8:00 PM - Close
2

University Link
• 3.15-mile extension of Initial
Segment and Airport Link
– Capitol Hill Station
– UW Station and crossover
• Schedule
– Design: completed early 2009
– Construction: 6.5 years
– System testing: 6 months
– Open for Service: 2016
• Adds 70,000 daily riders,
114,000 riders systemwide
(2030)
3

Capitol Hill Station
• Underground station with 3
entrances
• Staging area - station and N
tunnel excavation at site
• Ridership: 14,000 daily
boardings
• Travel time:
– 6 minutes to downtown
Seattle (University St.)
– 3 minutes to UW Station
4

Capitol Hill Station Schedule
1
2
3
4
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1. Demolition and Remediation
• Jan. 2009 to mid-2009
• 75% Recycling and salvage
goal
• Denny remains open
• Sidewalks remain open
– Will be few short term closures
• Site will be paved and remain
fenced
6

Recycled and Salvaged Items
A large amount of materials that otherwise would have been taken to landfills was removed
for re-use. Among some of the items salvaged were:
*Recycled Demolition Material to Date: 1,450 Tons
• 224 doors
• 180 cabinets
• 18 restaurant booths
• 50 light fixtures
• 29 ranges
• 31 refrigerators
• 13 claw foot tubs
• 21 sinks and toilets
• 60 radiator fins
• 121 ft. wrought iron railing
• 90 ft. wood railing
• Hundreds of feet of trim and molding
• 3500 sq. ft. fir flooring
• 500 sq. ft. tin ceiling panels
7

2. I-5 Undercrossing Work Vicinity
I-5 undercrossing contract awarded
in February
Convention Place Station
T
EE
TR
BO
ES
PIN
-Prepares I-5 structures for future tunnel
RE W
N
ST
ork A
NB I-
RE
boring machines
5
SB I-
ET
Work Area
re a
5
-Work being done now to avoid conflicts
with other WSDOT freeway work and later
Paramount
Theater
U-Link contracts
-Coordinated agency outreach to public
on ramp closures
-Contractor incentives to complete the
work early
8

Work Pit Locations
ve.
nA
re
Bo SBE Pit
NBE Pit
NB I
-5
SBW Pit
SB I-
St.
5
NBW Pit
e
Pin
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I-5 Ramp Closures
Pine Street
Pike Street
t
ee
Str
y
err
Ch
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Olive Way Off-Ramp Closure Detour
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Cherry Street On-Ramp Detours
ϖ Cherry St. express lane on-ramp will
be open to all traffic (currently only
HOV) during detour
13

Agency Coordination & Public
Outreach Efforts
• Coordination with WSDOT, SDOT and KC Metro
• Sound Transit website
• U-Link Website www.soundtransit.org/u-link
• E-mail alerts
• WSDOT construction information website
• SDOT construction webpage
• Portable Vehicle Messaging Systems along I-5
• Highway Advisory Radio System (HARS)
• Vehicle Message System with notification of
closures
• Detour cards for businesses affected by closure
to educate patrons
• Door-to-door business outreach
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3. Station Excavation, Tunneling
• Jan. 2010 to Dec. 2012
• Plywood wall surrounding site
• Denny and parts of Nagle closed to
traffic
• Sidewalks open
– Will be few short term closures
• Single Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
• 24/7 surface activity to support
tunneling
• High truck volumes
15

Capitol Hill Site Noise Variance
•Sound Transit preparing noise variance application for the
Capitol Hill site
-Construction wall will contain most but not all work
noise
-24/7 site activities to support tunneling work
-Work activities and equipment restrictions, other
mitigation
•Noise informational meeting June 3, 2009
•DPD will schedule a public meeting on the technical noise
variance in late Summer 2009
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4. Station Construction
• Jan. 2013 to Dec. 2015
• Less trucking activity
• Sidewalks open
– Will be few short term closures
• Cut and cover pedestrian tunnel
across Broadway (6 months)
– Roadway remains open
– Parking restrictions near work
17

Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
• 4-5 sites available for TOD
• TOD community forums scheduled during 2009
– June 24th forum on housing and retail
• Developer(s) to be selected in 2012-2013
• Construction of some sites could begin prior to station
opening (2015)
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N

Questions?
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Staying Informed
• Monthly electronic newsletters
www.soundtransit.org/subscribe
• Printed and electronic construction
alerts
• Regular construction update meetings
• Full time outreach staff
• 24 hour construction hotline
1-888-298-2395
• www.soundtransit.org/u-link
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Truck Haul Route
(beginning 2010)
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