Sound Transit kicks off construction of Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension
Sound Transit and its partners celebrated a 2.4-mile Link extension from the Theatre District in downtown Tacoma to the Stadium District and Hilltop neighborhoods with a groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 19.
The Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension includes relocating the Theatre District station and building six new stations along the new line. Service on the new extension is scheduled to begin in 2022. A future voter-approved extension of Tacoma Link will extend this neighborhood-scale service to Tacoma Community College by 2039.
“Extending Tacoma Link to the Hilltop District will connect additional neighborhoods with employment centers like downtown Tacoma and the Medical Mile,” said Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “The administration’s commitment to this project recognizes the strong financial support of the city of Tacoma and the local community allowing for a balanced federal share.”
The project was designed by HDR and Walsh Construction Company II, LLC, will build the extension, as well as new platform stations. The $217 million project expands the existing Tacoma Link rail line up Stadium Way, 1st Street, Division Avenue and down Martin Luther King Jr. Way to South 19th Street. The project is funded through a partnership between Sound Transit, the city of Tacoma, a $75 million federal Small Starts grant and a $15 million federal TIGER grant.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.