Northgate Link tunnel

The North Link is a northern extension of the Central Link light rail line spanning about Template:Mi to km from Downtown Seattle to Everett Station in the city of Everett, Washington, USA. The project is funded to Lynnwood station, which will open in 2023, by the Sound Transit 2 (ST2) package approved by voters in November, 2008. North Link will be built in four phases:

to Lynnwood Link Extension Northgate Maple Leaf portal Roosevelt U District University of Washington to 1 Line (University Link tunnel)

• University Link (Westlake Station - University of Washington Station) - Funded by Sound Move and federal grants
• Northgate Extension (University of Washington Station - Northgate Station) - Funded by ST2
• Lynnwood Extension (Northgate Station - Lynnwood Station) - Funded by ST2
• Everett Extension (Lynnwood Station - Everett Station) - Still in planning stages

Routing

From Westlake Station, trains will travel in a tunnel to Capitol Hill and the University of Washington. The tunnel will continue north to the University District and the Roosevelt neighborhoods before emerging onto an elevated route near the Green Lake neighborhood and into Northgate.

The extension from Northgate to Lynnwood in ST2 is officially known as the North Corridor High Capacity Transit (HCT) Project and is not guaranteed to be a Link extension. Sound Transit is currently analyzing alternatives for the North Corridor that vary according to the service mode, the precise alignment of the corridor, and station placement. Other options include Bus Rapid Transit and an alignment that follows Washington State Route 99 rather than Interstate 5. Alternatives will be included and compared in an Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in 2011. A final decision to select among the alternatives in the DEIS will follow the DEIS. Federal requirements for the FTA New Starts program require a comparison of bus and rail, but the criteria used by New Starts suggest that the final alternative will use Link technology.

North of Lynnwood, several routes and alternatives are being explored for light rail from Lynnwood to Everett. One possible route is along Interstate 5 for the entire route. Another route would run along Interstate 5, then head northwest towards Paine Field/Everett's Boeing plant at 128th Street S.W./Airport Way, and then travel north towards Everett Station.

Stations

Name	City/Neighborhood	Location	Other
North Link (University - Everett Station)
Tunnel Section
University of Washington	University District, Seattle	Intersection of Montlake Blvd. and N.E. Pacific St.	Connections to Kirkland, Redmond and Bellevue via Bus Rapid Transit on SR 520
Brooklyn	University District, Seattle	Intersection of N.E. 45th St. and Brooklyn Ave. N.E.	Station platform will be approximately 80 feet below ground. Station will be constructed using cut-and-cover techniques
Roosevelt	Roosevelt, Seattle	Intersection of N.E. 65th St. and 12th Ave. N.E.	Station platform will be approximately 90 feet below ground. Station built using cut & cover techniques.
Elevated Section
Northgate	Northgate, Seattle	Intersection of 1st Ave. N.E. and N.E. 103rd St.	Larger park & ride lot, bus transfer center, and pedestrian improvements to Northgate Mall
Jackson Park	Shoreline	Intersection of Interstate 5 and N.E. 145th St.	500-space parking garage and pedestrian improvements
Shoreline	Shoreline	Intersection of Interstate 5 and N.E. 185th St.	500-space parking garage and pedestrian improvements
Mountlake Terrace	Mountlake Terrace	Intersection of Interstate 5 and 236th St. S.W.	800-space parking garage and bus-freeway station
Lynnwood	Lynnwood	Intersection of Interstate 5 and 44th Ave. W.	1,900-space parking garage and pedestrian improvements
Alderwood	Lynnwood	Intersection of Alderwood Mall Pkwy., Alderwood Mall Blvd., and Interstate 5	Pedestrian improvements to Alderwood Mall
164th/Ash Way	Lynnwood, Mill Creek	Intersection of Interstate 5, 164th St. S.W., and Ash Way	Addition of 1,300-space parking garage
Lynnwood-Everett section to be determined
Everett Station	Everett	Intersection of Pacific Ave. and Smith Ave.	Connections to buses, Sounder Commuter Rail, and Community Transit SWIFT Bus Rapid Transit
Possible future extension through Everett

External links

• Sound Transit's page on North Link
• North Link Map by Sound Transit
• North Corridor High Capacity Transit Project Early Scoping Information Report