Sound Transit opens southern-most transit center at DuPont

Commuting to and from south Pierce County and north Thurston County became more convenient today with the opening of Sound Transit's newest - and southern-most - transit center in DuPont.

"Sound Transit's regional mission goes beyond the urban areas of Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Bellevue," said Sound Transit Vice Chair and Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg. "When Sound Transit's ST Express regional bus system begins serving this facility next week, it will help connect residents of south Pierce County and north Thurston County with jobs and destinations throughout the region."

Ladenburg also praised the public-private partnership between Sound Transit and the Quadrant Corporation. Sound Transit purchased the property from the Quadrant Corporation while Quadrant developed the property. Pierce Transit will operate the facility.

"As a result," said Ladenburg, " we were able to complete the project three years ahead of schedule and $2 million under budget."

The Quadrant Corporation also is the developer of Northwest Landing near the new Transit Center.

"This is an exciting addition to the Northwest Landing community and the city of DuPont," said Greg Moore, general manager of Northwest Landing. "Not only will it allow residents to commute more efficiently to Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia, but it will also accommodate the thousands of employees who work at businesses located in Northwest Landing."

The DuPont Transit Center was located and designed for potential future service by Sound Transit's Sounder Commuter rail line.

EDITORS NOTE: The "cash-in-a-can" - several thousand dollars unearthed in a plastic garbage can during construction -- has been released by the state crime lab. The DuPont Police department will continue to work on this "mystery" and try to discover the origin, if not the owner, of the money.

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Sound Transit plans, builds and operates regional transit systems and services to improve mobility for Central Puget Sound.