Light Rail U-Link Contract Bid Below Estimate

The first major bid from a contractor for building the Sound Transit U-Link from Downtown Seattle to the UW is a stunning 34% below estimates. Some analysts are attributing this to the economy's downturn, which makes for heavy competition from contractors looking for work. Of course the bid is being checked over, to make sure it's not a fantasy lowball number.

In the article linked above we also discover that the segment of Interstate 5 that runs through the area served by the proposed link operates at levels "over capacity" for up to 8 hours a day. It's not surprising to me; since the 1980s a person hasn't been able to even go southbound on a Saturday through this area, without hitting heavy congestion. And with population in that area predicted to grow, it's no wonder the U-Link project got high priority in DC when federal money was doled out.

This is exciting stuff for a railfan like me, because it's like the rebirth of The Interurban!

Seattle-Tacoma Interurban Railway

The Seattle-Tacoma Interburban Railway made its debut run on September 25th, 1902 - 105 years ago today. Originally it only ran between Tacoma and Seattle, but eventually expanded as far as Everett before it ran into financial trouble in the late 1920s. The final trains ran between Seattle and Everett no later than 1939. Much of the line has been reclaimed as a regional trail now. Thankfully a lot of the right-of-way remained, because it was shared with the power company. As a kid I remember riding minibikes over the old grade in places throughout Shoreline. Even back then we called it "The Interurban" without knowing why, other than some people knowing that a train used to run there.

As I write this, Sound Transit is bringing what used to be called "Interurban Transportation" back to the Puget Sound Region in the form of a light rail line that will eventually reach between Tacoma and Seattle. In some places, the new route and the old route are close enough to eyeball each other. In fact, at the Boeing Access Road in northern Tukwila, the new Light Rail line crosses over the old Interurban right-of-way. Was the Interurban ahead of its time? In my opinion yes, by about 100 years. In the early 1900s it was built to span the rustic distances between two urban centers. Now, the light rail spans the traffic congestion that is caused by having two urban centers, brought on by the cars that signaled the demise of the Interurban 70 years ago. While the focus is different, the result is the same - move people from one place to another.

Today we can sit back and celebrate rail history of our region by thinking about the Interurban and it's forward thinking mission to move people. I personally am looking forward to Light Rail, and hope to see it expand to my part of the region.