Sound Transit begins construction on the East Link light rail extension. Next stop: 2023, when the line is expected to serve 50,000 riders a day.

"Sound Transit will break ground Friday on the $3.7 billion East Link light rail extension," reports the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
Some demolition work began earlier in the week, according to the article, "to make way for a 2,150-foot light rail tunnel through downtown Bellevue." Eventually the extension will run 14 miles from downtown Seattle to Mercer Island and Bellevue, and then to Overlake in Redmond, serving ten stations. The article includes a few renderings and maps, as well as more detail about the business side of the construction process.
The East Link light rail extension last made the Planetizen news feed when Sound Transit requested an additional $20 million to complete studies of a floating bridge across Lake Washington.
FULL STORY: Sound Transit breaks ground Friday on $3.7B East Link

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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