Sound Transit selects PCL to design and build South 200th Link light rail extension

Design-build method will enable agency to extend light rail service south from Sea-Tac Airport four years early

The Sound Transit Board today approved a contract with PCL Civil Constructors, Inc., to design and build the elevated station and guideway for the light rail extension from Sea-Tac Airport to South 200th Street.

Construction of the new station and 1.6-mile South 200th Link Extension is scheduled to begin early next year, with service to start in September, 2016 - four years earlier than envisioned in the voter-approved Sound Transit 2 plan and at the same time the University Link extension opens.

"After reviewing technical and cost proposals from four previously-qualified proposers, Sound Transit identified PCL as the highest ranking firm with demonstrated expertise in design-build methods," said Ahmad Fazel, Executive Director of Design, Engineering, and Construction Management at Sound Transit. "The important work PCL and Sound Transit will accomplish together will enable the agency to deliver the South 200th Link Extension project on an accelerated schedule."

PCL submitted a price of $169 million to design and build the elevated station and guideway, which is less than the $170 million to $190 million estimate that Sound Transit developed for the project.

The South 200th Link Extension will run south from Sea-Tac Airport on an elevated guideway along 28th Avenue South to South 200th Street. The elevated station will include passenger platforms with covered waiting areas, a transfer area for local and rapid ride bus connections, dedicated areas for passenger pickup and drop off, and vanpool parking. Secured bicycle storage, street improvements to accommodate traffic circulation, bicycle and pedestrian access, landscaping and public art are also elements of the project.

The agency will conduct a separate procurement for construction of a garage at the station and roadway improvements. A 700-stall park-and-ride garage and up to 400 additional interim surface spaces will provide parking for commuters using the South 200th Link Extension Station. The additional parking capacity will provide an alternative to parking at the Tukwila International Boulevard light rail station and accommodate parking south of the airport while the station at South 200th Street serves as an interim southern terminus.