We’re a week into the unplanned service disruption on Link, and we want to provide you with an update on where things stand.
As a reminder, the service disruption was the result of damage to the roof of the tunnel above the northbound platform of the Westlake station. The damage, which was caused by a private construction crew not affiliated with Sound Transit working at street level, happened April 25.
At first, we thought the damage was limited, but upon further inspection on we realized that it was more significant than we first thought. A piece of girder was broken. While there is no danger of collapse, there is a hazard from ceiling debris, including a football-sized concrete chunk, that could fall onto the platform or train tracks.
The next step is for a construction team to provide access to the area so we can fully inspect the section for damage. Preparation for that work is already underway.
The construction crew is building scaffolding and a protection deck over the northbound platform at Westlake so that we can access the damaged area from underneath. We will also have to remove travertine cladding around the beams.
The contractor has staged their scaffolding onsite and is beginning work tomorrow, pending necessary approvals.
Once that work is completed, we will be able to remove the debris in the ceiling and conduct a full examination of the damage next week. That will allow us to determine what we need to do to repair the damage.
Once we’ve completed the examination next week, we hope to be able to open the northbound platform again and return to normal service. The scaffolding will remain in place until the final repairs are complete.
We won’t know what how extensive the final repair work or what future impact it may have on service is until we complete the assessment and develop a plan. We’ll keep you updated as we better understand our next steps.
In the meantime, we will continue to have staff out on the platforms to help passengers as long as this disruption lasts.
We want to thank our passengers for their patience during the disruption. We know it’s been an inconvenience, but you’ve been terrific adapting the changes. Thanks for understanding that your safety is our top priority as we work to restore service to normal as quickly as we can.