Redmond Technology station explained

Redmond Technology
Style:Sound Transit
Address:3929 156th Avenue Northeast
Borough:Redmond, Washington
Country:United States
Coordinates:47.6447°N -122.1336°W
Owned:Sound Transit
Platforms:1 island platform
Tracks:2
Train Operators:Sound Transit
Bus Stands:6
Bus Operators:King County Metro
Sound Transit Express
Structure:At-grade
Parking:222 spaces
Bicycle:Lockers and racks
Accessible:Yes
Opened: (bus station)[1]
April 27, 2024 (rail station)
Former:Overlake Transit Center (2002–2017)
Rebuilt:2017–2024
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Line:none
Marker:rail-light
Zoom:15

Redmond Technology station, formerly Overlake Transit Center, is a bus and light rail station in Redmond, Washington, United States. The bus station opened in 2002 adjacent to State Route 520 on the headquarters campus of Microsoft. It was served by Sound Transit Express and King County Metro, as well as Microsoft's private shuttle buses. The light rail station is the eastern terminus of the 2 Line, part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, and opened on April 27, 2024.

Location

The light rail station is located adjacent to State Route 520 near its interchange with NE 40th Street.[2]

A pedestrian bridge over State Route 520, connecting the station to the Microsoft west campus, was funded by Microsoft and the City of Redmond in 2013 and began construction in 2020.[3] [4] It opened in April 2024 after the completion of approach ramps and will be maintained by the city government.[5] [6]

History

Overlake Transit Center opened on February 4, 2002, and cost $8 million to construct with funds from Sound Transit, the City of Redmond, King County Metro, Microsoft, and the Federal Transit Administration, opened on February 4, 2002.[1] The new transit center initially lacked passenger shelters and a paved parking lot, which were added in May. The 10acres site was donated by Microsoft, who also contributed $1.2 million to the project and added commuter bus and shuttle bus services.[7] Microsoft's involvement was part of a development agreement with the City of Redmond for its campus expansion project.[8] The transit center had eight bus bays.[9]

The park and ride closed in May 2017, as part of preparations for light rail construction.[10] In late July, Sound Transit shifted bus service to a series of temporary bus bays near NE 36th Street and began demolition of the old transit center.[11] The new light rail station's name was shortened from Redmond Technology Center to Redmond Technology in March 2018 in response to a request from Redmond and Microsoft.[12]

The new bus bays at the station were opened in December 2019 under the partially completed parking garage.[13] During construction of the parking garage, cracks were discovered in the concrete above the bus exit. The bus stops and pedestrian walkways were temporarily moved from the garage in April 2020 while an investigation was conducted.[14] The southeast corner of the garage, where several structural deficiencies were found, was demolished in 2021.[15] The bus loop reopened for Microsoft buses in August 2023 and was followed a month later by Sound Transit Express and King County Metro buses.[16] [17] The garage was reopened for parking on October 31.[18]

Light rail service from the station began on April 27, 2024, with trains operating between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology as part of the 2 Line's starter segment.[19] [20] Service is expected to be extended further east to Downtown Redmond in 2025.[21]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Lindblom . Mike . Brooks . Diane . February 2, 2002 . Modern transit centers for riders in Everett, Redmond to debut Monday . B1 . . July 15, 2016.
  2. Web site: Redmond Technology Station . Sound Transit . July 7, 2019.
  3. News: Ervin . Keith . November 26, 2013 . Microsoft pitches in on bridge over Overlake Transit Center . The Seattle Times . July 21, 2015.
  4. . August 28, 2014 . City of Redmond, Sound Transit team up for new pedestrian-bicycle bridge . Sound Transit . July 21, 2015.
  5. News: Minnick . Benjamin . May 22, 2020 . Kiewit-Hoffman installs first part of pedestrian bridge over SR 520 . Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce . January 3, 2023.
  6. News: Schlosser . Kurt . April 22, 2024 . Microsoft and partners open major new pedestrian bridge to span campus and transportation needs . . April 28, 2024.
  7. News: Brooks . Diane . May 15, 2002 . Overlake center all gussied up for its new role in area transit . B3 . The Seattle Times . December 27, 2016.
  8. News: Perry . Nick . August 7, 2001 . Microsoft giving land, money for Park & Ride . Eastside Journal . . January 31, 2024.
  9. Web site: Overlake Transit Center Boarding Locations . . July 15, 2016.
  10. News: Graf . Heather . May 1, 2017 . East Link construction to close two popular Park & Ride l . . August 5, 2017 . August 6, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170806061802/http://www.king5.com/traffic/traffic-news/east-link-construction-to-close-two-popular-park-and-ride-lots/435134286 . dead .
  11. Web site: July 26, 2017 . Construction alert: Changes coming to Overlake Transit Center . Sound Transit . August 5, 2017.
  12. Web site: March 22, 2018 . Sound Transit Motion No. M2018-38 . Sound Transit . July 7, 2019.
  13. News: Cunningham . Rachelle . December 10, 2019 . Overlake Transit Center bus stops are moving . The Platform . Sound Transit . May 2, 2020.
  14. News: Lindblom . Mike . May 1, 2020 . Cracks halt progress on Sound Transit park-and-ride garage in Redmond . The Seattle Times . May 2, 2020.
  15. News: April 2, 2021 . Redmond Technology Station Garage Update . Sound Transit . April 12, 2021.
  16. News: August 14, 2023 . Stay Informed about the Redmond Technology Station Bus Loop Opening . City of Redmond . August 24, 2023.
  17. August 31, 2023 . Sound Transit announces September 2023 Service Change . Sound Transit . November 1, 2023.
  18. News: Lindblom . Mike . November 1, 2023 . Look both ways! Eastside light-rail trains begin practice runs . The Seattle Times . November 1, 2023.
  19. News: Lindblom . Mike . February 15, 2024 . Sound Transit sets a date for Bellevue-Redmond trains . The Seattle Times . February 15, 2024.
  20. News: Sires . Cameron . April 27, 2024 . Long-awaited Bellevue-to-Redmond light rail line opens for riders . Bellevue Reporter . April 27, 2024.
  21. News: Lindblom . Mike . August 24, 2023 . Eastside-only light rail should open in March, Sound Transit says . The Seattle Times . August 24, 2023.