Field Notes: A First-of-its-Kind Floating Transit Project through the Eyes of an Engineer
Field Notes is a recurring series where impactful aspects of projects are brought into focus from the field, along with the people who make it possible.
There’s something special about transportation projects and the impact connectivity can have on a community. With greater connectivity comes greater access to healthier lifestyles, vital resources, and a wider range of opportunities. For public transit and infrastructure, this is especially true.
The Sound Transit East Link Extension project, which is designed to expand the light rail connection between Seattle, WA and its surrounding area, certainly fits this notion. As an analyst within our project controls group, our team has had the opportunity to bring efficiencies through tools and data to the development of this unique public asset.
I was honored to also have an opportunity to visit the project site itself, which I’d spent the last few years of my life working on from afar. What I found in this one-of-a-kind rail transport that features a floating bridge only reinforced my view of this feat of engineering, and my pride in being part of it bringing value to the community it aims to service.
Welcome to Judkins Park Station: Through the Eyes of An Engineer
Judkins Park Station (or JPS), located on 23rd Ave S, in the center of I-90, is one of the stations within the E130 scope and one of ten under construction within the 14-mile Eastlink Extension.
The access to this station allows the community to commute from Seattle to South Bellevue via light rail. JPS is right across the street from the Northwest Jimi Hendrix Park and is designed for people to walk, bike, or bus directly to the station!
Experiencing the East Link Light Rail
The Light Rail runs from the International District in Seattle, through Mount Baker Tunnel, to Mercer Island and concludes at Redmond. The Eastlink Extension creates yet another way for folks to commute without leaving behind a carbon imprint on our environment. The station itself is beautiful, and has a special flow of artwork and intentional landscaping throughout.
A Unique Design to Connect Communities
In the eye of an engineer, the project as a whole is a tangible form of beauty. The I-90 bridge is made up of several pontoons with a density less than water, allowing them to literally float! As astonishing as that may be, the bridge carries large volumes of traffic flow daily and will soon be carrying the additional weight of the light speed rail.
One of the most fascinating pieces of this experience is that the design of the light speed rail had to account for the water displacement caused by the weight of the materials and equipment required to build the tracks for the light speed rail. Additionally, the design had to account for the respective impacts on the bridge itself prior to construction.
