Opportunity
Undertaken to create flexibility for future capacity and the 2010 Winter Olympics in nearby Vancouver, BC, the 770 Airport Link is a critical component of Seattle’s Sound Transit network.
Connecting downtown Seattle to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometer) LRT guideway includes 0.9 miles (1.4 kilometers) of elevated trackwork, three long span structures over key highways and roads, a pedestrian bridge and drop-off area, and a signature station at the south terminus.
Solution
Mott MacDonald had been previously contracted to design Sound Transit’s 5-mile Tukwila alignment. We were chosen again for the 770 Airport link as a follow-on assignment.
The preliminary and final design of the alignment was our responsibility, and drew expertise from in-house civil, rail alignment, structural, station architecture, geotechnical, survey, landscape architecture, traffic and systems integration subgroups.
Outcome
Our alignment design was optimized to allow for minimum intrusion into the Seattle landscape while maximizing LRT vehicle speed.