Smells like progress: Sound Transit to construct light rail line on landfill

Sound Transit will perform rail grinding maintenance for the next four weeks.

Sound Transit

Sound Transit is so serious about its system expansion, it is willing to cut into an abandoned landfill. The 60-acre Midway Landfill, located in Seattle, closed in 1983. Sound Transit is planning on using the eastern edge of the landfill to extend the Link light rail line from Angle Lake to Federal Way. The expansion is expected to be complete in 2024.

Before the project can begin Sound Transit must follow some guidelines. Excavating landfill waste will be one of the actions required, and that will affect the landfill cap, the gas collection system and the surface water-monitoring network. Sound Transit will be required to transfer the excavated municipal waste to an authorized active landfill, restore disturbed portions of the landfill cap and other infrastructure, and document all required work for review and approval.

Sound Transit will purchase part of the landfill strip needed for construction of the line and will take over responsibility to maintain the landfill cap. Public meetings are scheduled for February.

Sound Transit also might construct an operations and maintenance facility on the Midway landfill. That decision will be made later this year.

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