Officials from the city of Seattle and Sound Transit recently executed an agreement to build the $125.8 million line, which will connect the International District transit station to the future Capitol Hill light rail station at Broadway and John Street.

The line will run along South Jackson Street and turn onto 12th Avenue South, but the rest of the route has not been determined.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2012 and end in 2013, three years before the Capitol Hill light rail station is expected to open.

Seattle could see a lot of streetcar construction, with three other lines worth a total of $477 million being considered. Last year, the Seattle City Council voted, 6-3, to look at expanding the streetcar network based on a Seattle Department of Transportation plan. Ethan Melone, SDOT's streetcar manager, emphasized this is merely a long-range “framework plan.”

Next up could be a line along First Avenue, which would add capacity when the Alaskan Way Viaduct is replaced. There is no funding for this line yet, according to Melone, who said he and his colleagues are awaiting direction from Mayor-elect Mike McGinn, who is lukewarm on the project.

During the campaign, McGinn pushed expanding light rail to West Seattle, Belltown, Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont and Wallingford. When asked if he supported the First Avenue line, McGinn said, “I would first work on expanding light rail before pursuing (outgoing) Mayor (Greg) Nickels' proposal for a streetcar on First Avenue.”

The only project that's a definite go is the First Hill line, which is funded and has McGinn's support. Melone said the city and Sound Transit are fast-tracking it to complement downtown's light rail service and as well as other transit.

“The sooner we have [the First Hill streetcar line] in place, the better,” said Melone. Even before the Capitol Hill light rail station opens, the streetcar line will link the International District to Capitol Hill via densely populated First Hill. Now there is no direct transit link between Broadway and the International District station.

GC/CM possible

Melone said the First Hill line may be built under a general contractor/construction manager contract.

“It's a complex project compared to standard municipal construction,” said Melone. The project will require a range of trades, including electrical and civil, specialty track work and construction of a maintenance facility.

The GC/CM model brings the general contractor into the project early to give input on the design, line up the diverse trades early and handle other preconstruction services, such as procuring rails, which Melone said require a long lead time.

A decision will be made early next year. If the project team goes with a GC/CM, Melone said a request for qualifications likely would be issued in the second quarter of 2010.

Two consultants already are on board. URS Corp. is designing the track as well as station platforms and road modifications, and LTK Engineering Services has been tabbed to procure streetcars, conduct inspections, and design the electrical and signaling systems. LTK is the lead on the maintenance facility, which has not yet been sited.

Design challenge

The line will run between the International District station and 12th Avenue South along South Jackson Street. The design will be complex at what Melone calls a “pinch point,” a short stretch of 12th between Jackson and Boren Avenue South.

This area has heavy motor-vehicle traffic. Underneath 12th is a 42-inch water line and above the street is a criss-cross of wires for electric buses.

From this spot, a number of route alternatives are possible. Melone said Seattle University officials would like the trolleys to follow a loop, going one way on 12th Avenue and another on Broadway. Employers on First Hill prefer the tracks be closer to their facilities. Seattle Housing Authority officials want the tracks near its Yesler Terrace community, where plans call for replacing 561 low-income units with 5,000 homes for mixed-income renters and buyers.

The city council will decide on the route. Melone hopes that will happen early next spring. Councilmembers will base their decision on recommendations from consultants and staff members. Melone said they will look at ridership numbers, development and urban design opportunities, travel times, capital and operating costs, utility conflicts, parking and traffic lanes, and bicycle compatibility.

For instance, the team will measure increased ridership against the cost of running the line along a more densely populated route. Sound Transit's initial projection is 3,000 daily passengers starting in 2016, when the segment of light rail that serves Capitol Hill opens.

Sound Transit has agreed to cover the construction cost of the two-mile First Hill line up to $132 million. In addition, Sound Transit will provide the city with $5.2 million a year, in 2007 dollars, for operation and maintenance.

The First Hill streetcar line is being built because Sound Transit abandoned its original plan to build a light rail station in the neighborhood. The agency decided that construction of a station there was too risky from a cost perspective.

Streetcar funding was part of the $17.8 billion Sound Transit 2 ballot measure approved last year.