West Seattle Link light rail project balloons by billions of dollars
Cost of West Seattle Link project balloons by billions of dollars
Sound Transit officials say the cost to construct the West Seattle Link light rail extension project has gone from a forecast $4.2 billion to more than $7 billion.
WEST SEATTLE - The West Seattle Link project could be getting a makeover in the name of cost savings. Sound Transit officials say labor, materials and infrastructure in the original estimate have ballooned by billions of dollars.
On Monday night, Sound Transit officials talked to the West Seattle community about how they plan to cut costs for the West Seattle Link project.
One of those is to eliminate the proposed Avalon Station altogether. That could stop the acquisition of some homes and other properties in the area.
Erin Rubin spoke at Monday's forum. She owns Mode Music, a business that sits in the path of the future West Seattle Link light rail project.
She's been pushing for more funding to be able to move the business after learning that it would have to be demolished to make way for the rail line.
To her relief, this spring, a law was passed at the state level that increased the funding for the reimbursement cap. She says there's still a long way to go, and it will likely cost more than that to move an entire business due to inflation and other increased costs.
Businesses that need relocation aren't the only ones facing rising expenses. The West Seattle Link extension project itself has jumped in price. So much so, Sound Transit dedicated a team to look into cost savings.
"I was really excited that Sound Transit is so proactively looking at ways to speed things up and reduce the costs," said Jess Zimbabwe, West Seattle resident.
By the numbers:
Brad Owen, executive director of capital delivery at Sound Transit, says the initial finance plan was initially forecast at $4.2 billion. The current cost estimate is at more than $7 billion.
Owen says costs have escalated since COVID, and construction costs and tariffs have driven them higher.
Some of the ideas the team came up with to save money on the West Seattle Link project include eliminating a third-mile of temporary tracks, called shoofly track. Those tracks, according to project directors, enable train service while the station and permanent tracks are under construction. By reducing the amount of temporary track, it improves costs by reducing the need for property extensions.
Another idea included using modular construction for some aspects of the project. Owen said that means some materials would be constructed off-site and then trucked into the locations where they will be fully assembled.
Other cost-saving measures proposed Monday night included using a simplified, less costly bridge design, and eliminating the Avalon Station, which Owen says will save on the acquisition of properties and construction costs.
"You saw a lot of the opportunities that we showed you to potentially reduce the property we have to take," Owen said.
"Overall, we don’t see much of a ridership drop in eliminating the Avalon Station," said Jason Hampton, Commercial Director for the West Seattle Link Extension.
Officials said Monday night after reassessing, it's now possible the West Seattle Health Club and swimming pool could be spared from demolition, but that is still up in the air.
Owen said the Sound Transit Board will be looking over the issue of cost savings over the next 5–6 months, and staff will be updating the public on progress during construction meetings.
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The Source: Information in this story came from Sound Transit and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.