An independent construction group, PCL Civil Constructors, has bagged a contract for the construction of the South 200thLink Extension Project. The contract is valued at $169 million and involves the design-build of a light rail system.
Sound Transit paper light-rail train
The contract was awarded by the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit). The construction is slated to begin in early 2013 and the rail transit service is expected to be operational by September 2016.
The lead designer for this project is HDR Engineering. This project involves the expansion of the existing light rail line from Sea-Tac Airport to an interim terminal station to be built at South 200th Street and 28th Avenue South. This entails the designing and building of double-track light rail transit system for 1.6 mi on a raised guideway. In addition to a new passenger station, there will also be transit systems and rail-associated improvements in civil infrastructure as a part of this project. Two long span bridges to minimize disruptions due to traffic will be one of the key elements of the project. These bridges will be constructed in the area surrounding the Sea-Tac Airport. This will be the first passenger station of Sound Transit and will meet sustainability goals with on-site photovoltaic energy generation systems.
Sound Transit Executive Director said that the design-build approach for this extension project will allow a more collaborative and efficient delivery when compared with the traditional design-bid-build. The project will be completed in 2016, which is four years earlier than originally planned.
Source: http://www.pcl.com