JCM launches first Northgate Link TBM
18 July 2014The first of two TBMs that will dig new twin light rail tunnels from the Northgate neighborhood in Seattle to the University of Washington began mining on July 9.
The machine will mine approximately 3.5 miles from the tunnel portal just south of the Northgate Transit Center to UW where the tunnels will connect with the University Link line into downtown Seattle. That section between downtown and the UW is scheduled to open in early 2016.
These tunnels are being constructed by the same contractors, Jay Dee Contractors of Livonia, Mich., Frank Coluccio Construction Company of Seattle, and Michaels Corporation of Brownsville, Wis., that successfully completed two one-mile tunnels for the University Link light rail project. The University Link light rail project is currently scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2016, six to nine months early, and is estimated to be completed approximately $150 million under budget.
The USD 2.1bn Northgate extension includes underground stations in the U District and Roosevelt neighborhoods and an elevated station at Northgate. The extension is expected to add more than 60,000 riders a day to the system by 2030.
A second TBM is being assembled at the Northgate site and is expected to begin mining the second tunnel in October.
