Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable..

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.

Workers stand near a lift as work continues on a future Sound Transit light rail station during high temperatures near Federal Way, Wash., south of Seattle, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. 

Workers stand near a lift as work continues on a future Sound Transit light rail station during high temperatures near Federal Way, Wash., south of Seattle, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. 

(The Center Square) – The Sound Transit light rail extension is facing more delays that could extend for multiple months.

The Sound Transit Board System Expansion Committee received the news in a report Thursday that detailed the causes for the delay. Issues with mortar pads, rebar placements and track fasteners featured prominently. So did the long-term impacts of the pandemic and a concrete pour strike earlier this year.

For the Federal Way Link Extension, a slope adjacent to Interstate-5 recently experienced a localized failure. Last month, approximately 200 linear feet of embankment drifted downslope. That ultimately required a three-day precautionary lane closure on Interstate-5 going southbound.

Sound Transit is now working with the Washington State Department of Transportation to find solutions to address the liquefiable layer of soil deep below the light rail alignment.

“While it is too early to accurately assess the resulting construction delay, we now expect the [Federal Way Link Extension Project] completion to extend some number of months into 2025 rather than occurring in late 2024,” Sound Transit said in a statement.

The previously scheduled completion date for the Lynnwood and Redmond projects was in mid-2024. Sound Transit now says that may be impacted by four to six months due to the concrete delivery strike that ended in April.

The East Link extension will be pushed back at least one year beyond the previously scheduled mid-2023 opening due to construction quality and durability concerns about plinths, or raised concrete structures, that support the tracks.

Sound Transit said the contractor working to fix the plinths supporting the tracks on both sides of the Interstate-90 floating bridge has led to the identification of more challenges. The contractor discovered issues with mortar pads, rebar placements and track fasteners. It agreed to re-cast the plinths to ensure long-term reliability, according to Sound Transit

"While we are on a path to fully resolve impacts of COVID-19, the concrete delivery strike and our construction challenges, we have more work to do before we can reliably establish opening dates,” Sound Transit Interim CEO Brooke Belman said. “We will work tirelessly with our contractors to complete these extensions as rapidly as possible without compromising on safety or quality."

Originally published on thecentersquare.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable.

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable.

Mostly sunny skies. High near 100F. Winds light and variable.

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