SODO station (Sound Transit)

SODO is a light rail station located in Seattle, Washington. It is situated between the Beacon Hill and Stadium stations on Line 1, which runs from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Downtown Seattle and the University of Washington as part of the Link light rail system. The station consists of two at-grade side platforms at the intersection of the SODO Busway and South Lander Street in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle.

SODO
Link light rail station
The northbound platform at SODO station
Location	500 S Lander Street Seattle, Washington
Coordinates	47°34′52.6″N 122°19′38.6″W
Owned by	Sound Transit
Line(s)	Line 1
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	Sound Transit Express, King County Metro
Construction
Structure type	Surface
Parking	Paid parking nearby
Bicycle facilities	Bicycle lockers
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	July 18, 2009
Passengers
2,524 daily boardings (2019)[1]
Services
Preceding station     Following station Stadium toward University of Washington Line 1 Beacon Hill toward Angle Lake

SODO station was first proposed in the late 1980s, but was ignored in subsequent light rail proposals until the addition of the Beacon Hill Tunnel to the Central Link route in 1998 (now part of Line 1). It was built between 2005 and 2006 by Kiewit Pacific and opened to Link service on July 18, 2009. Trains serve the station twenty hours a day on most days; the headway between trains is six minutes during peak periods, with less frequent service at other times. SODO station is also served by several Sound Transit Express and King County Metro buses that stop on the SODO Busway adjacent to the platforms.

Location

SODO station is situated along the SODO Busway in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle. The entrances to its two side platforms is located at the intersection of the SODO Busway and South Lander Street, adjacent to a United States Postal Service parking garage.[2] The area surrounding the station consists of a mixture of industrial and low-density commercial areas without residences, employing over 12,000 workers.[3][4][5] Major employers in the area include Starbucks, who has their headquarters at the Starbucks Center five blocks west of the station, and Seattle Public Schools at the John Stanford Center.[6][7] The light rail line is paralleled to the east by a mixed-use bicycle trail called the SODO Trail, which connects SODO station to Stadium station at South Royal Brougham Way.[8] The Seattle Department of Transportation plans to extend the trail to Spokane Street, connecting it to a bike trail on the Spokane Street Viaduct, serving West Seattle; a connector trail on Forest Street to a segregated cycletrack on Airport Way is also being considered.[9]

History

The earliest proposal for a light rail station at South Lander Street in SODO came from the Puget Sound Council of Governments in 1986, as part of a north–south line from Lynnwood to Federal Way, following the Duwamish River from Downtown Seattle to the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.[10][11] The station was omitted from the 1993 Regional Transit Project proposal,[12] and the two Sound Transit proposals in 1995 and 1996, with the latter being approved to follow Interstate 90 toward the Rainier Valley.[13][14][15] Sound Transit added several alternative routes to Central Link in 1998, including "Route C1" consisting of an at-grade segment parallel to the existing SODO Busway and a tunnel under Beacon Hill, with stations at South Royal Brougham Way, South Lander Street and under Beacon Hill.[16] "Route C1" was selected as the final route for Central Link (now Line 1) in 1999, with a station at South Lander Street being approved ahead of the deferred Royal Brougham and Beacon Hill stations.[17][18]

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Central Link project was held at SODO station in November 2003, with construction beginning after utility poles located next to the SODO Busway were relocated to clear the track's right of way.[19] The Sound Transit Board officially named the station after the SoDo neighborhood on January 13, 2005, replacing the provisional name of South Lander Street.[20] The first rails on Central Link were laid between Holgate and Lander streets in August 2005,[21] with the first piece of station art being installed at SODO station during the same month.[22] The station itself was built by Kiewit Pacific in less than a year, with opening ceremonies for SODO and Stadium stations held on May 30, 2006, celebrating the completion of the first two Central Link stations.[23] Light rail testing on the 1.3-mile-long (2.1 km), at-grade SoDo segment was carried out by Sound Transit between March 2007 and February 2008, allowing the agency to declare the segment "substantially complete" in June 2008.[24][25] SODO station was opened to the public on July 18, 2009, during the first day of Central Link service.[26]

Station layout

Platform level	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Northbound	← Line 1 toward University of Washington (Stadium)
	Southbound	→ Line 1 toward Angle Lake (Beacon Hill) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right

SODO station consists of two 400-foot-long (120 m) at-grade side platforms, located 160 feet (49 m) north of the station's entrance at South Lander Street.[23][27] The station includes the largest bicycle facility in the Link light rail system, with 64 covered spaces at a bicycle parking station and bicycle locker with 32 spaces adjacent to the nearby SODO Trail.[6][28]

SODO station also houses a free-standing art installation as part of the "STart" program, which allocates a percentage of project construction funds to art projects to be used in stations.[29] Located at east side of the station entrance, Michael Davis's Made in USA consists of a 24-foot-high (7.3 m) by 14-foot-wide (4.3 m) archway that is made of an oversized try square, spirit level, and carpenter pencil, installed in August 2005 to honor the industrial heritage of SoDo.[22][30] The plaza also includes seating made of sliced steel I-beams and a cog, with cast bronze replicas of workbench tools soldered onto the granite tops; the seating is meant to humanize the industrial environment, illustrating the process of transforming ideas and raw materials into a completed project.[31][32]

The station's pictogram, an anvil, represents the industrial heritage of the SODO area. It was created by Christian French as part of the Stellar Connections series and its points represent nearby destinations, including the Starbucks Center, the Link railyard, Rainier Brewery, and the Beacon Hill Tunnel.[33][34]

Services

A King County Metro bus stops on the SODO Busway adjacent to the platforms at SODO station.

SODO station is part of Sound Transit's Line 1, which runs from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport through the Rainier Valley and Downtown Seattle to the University of Washington. It is the ninth northbound station from Angle Lake station and eighth southbound station from University of Washington station, and is situated between Beacon Hill and Stadium stations. Line 1 trains serve SODO twenty hours a day on weekdays and Saturdays, from 5:00 am to 1:00 am, and eighteen hours on Sundays, from 6:00 am to 12:00 am; during regular weekday service, trains operate roughly every six to ten minutes during rush hour and midday operation, respectively, with longer headways of fifteen minutes in the early morning and twenty minutes at night. During weekends, Line 1 trains arrive at SODO station every ten minutes during midday hours and every fifteen minutes during mornings and evenings. The station is approximately 27 minutes from SeaTac/Airport station and eleven minutes from Westlake station in Downtown Seattle.[35][36] In 2019, an average of 2,524 passengers boarded Link trains at SODO stadium on weekdays.[1]

Stadium station is also served by several bus routes on the SODO Busway, which runs parallel to Line 1, at a pair of bus stops west of the station platforms at South Lander Street. Three Sound Transit Express routes stop at the station on their way to Tacoma, Lakewood, and Gig Harbor. King County Metro operates three all-day routes through the SODO Busway that serve West Seattle, the Rainier Valley, Renton, Tukwila, and Kent. Metro also runs four peak-direction routes through the SODO Busway towards Renton, Fairwood, Federal Way, and Redondo Heights.[37]

In addition to regular bus service, Metro also runs the Route 97 Link Shuttle, a shuttle service serving Link stations along surface streets during Link service disruptions.[38]

References

1. "Q4 2019 Service Delivery Quarterly Performance Report" (PDF). Sound Transit. February 27, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
2. "SODO Station". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
3. City of Seattle Generalized Zoning (PDF) (Map). City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development. August 29, 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
4. Growing Transit Communities Oversight Committee (October 2013). "SODO: Light Rail/Bus" (PDF). The Growing Transit Communities Strategy. Puget Sound Regional Council. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
5. City of Seattle Strategic Planning Office (January 1999). "Lander" (PDF). Seattle Area Station Planning: Light Rail Station Area Atlas. Seattle Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
6. Lindblom, Mike (July 11, 2009). "Will Sodo Station be a magnet for riders?". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
7. Ervin, Keith (October 15, 2002). "School officials start moving into new headquarters". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
8. Seattle Bike Map (PDF) (Map). Seattle Department of Transportation. 2014. p. 1. § D8. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
9. "Map 4-8: E Sector" (PDF) (Map). Seattle Bike Master Plan (PDF). Seattle Department of Transportation. April 29, 2014. p. 45. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
10. "LRT Trunk Route Schematic" (Map). Federal Way Transit Extension: Plan Review for High-Capacity Transit in the Project Corridor: S. 200th Street to Federal Way City Center (PDF). Puget Sound Council of Governments. 1986. p. 2-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
11. Summary Report, Multi-Corridor Project. Seattle, Washington: Puget Sound Council of Governments. 1986. OCLC 15608855.
12. Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Pierce Transit, Snohomish County Transportation Authority, Washington State Department of Transportation (March 1993). "Build Alternatives". Final Environmental Impact Statement: Regional Transit System Plan (PDF) (Report). Regional Transit Project. pp. 2–32. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 16, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2016.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
13. "The Regional Transit System Proposal" (PDF). Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority. February 1995. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
14. "Sound Move: Launching a Rapid Transit System for the Puget Sound Region" (PDF). Sound Transit. May 31, 1996. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
15. Schaefer, David (November 6, 1996). "Voters back transit plan on fourth try". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
16. "Sound Transit Motion No. M98-49". Sound Transit. July 23, 1998. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
17. Fryer, Alex (November 19, 1999). "A Milestone For Light Rail -- Regional Board Selects Station Sites, Alignment". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
18. "Sound Transit Board achieves historic milestone by selecting route for central Link light rail" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. November 18, 1999. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
19. Lindblom, Mike (November 8, 2003). "Groundbreaking today for light rail". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
20. "Sound Transit Motion No. M2005-09" (PDF). Sound Transit. January 13, 2005. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
21. "Sound Transit installs first rails for Central Link light rail line" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. August 18, 2005. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
22. "Getting Involved: STart in SODO" (PDF). Link Light Rail Quarterly News. Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit (2): 2. Fall 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
23. "Sound Transit completes first two Central Link light rail stations" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. May 30, 2006. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
24. "Sound Transit starts intensive light rail testing" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. March 14, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
25. STV Group (June 2008). Central Link Light Rail Project Initial and Airport Segments Monitoring Report, Part I – June 2008 (PDF) (Report). Federal Transit Administration. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
26. "Link light rail launches new era of mobility for central Puget Sound" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. July 18, 2009. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
27. "SODO Station". Completed Project Archive. Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
28. "Installation of on-demand bike lockers starts this week at UW, SODO and Rainier Beach Stations" (Press release). Sound Transit. December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
29. "STart Public Art Program". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
30. "STart — Sound Transit Art Program: Guide to Art" (PDF). Sound Transit. April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 29, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
31. "SODO Station — Public Art". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
32. Upchurch, Michael (July 12, 2009). "Sound Transit light rail's public art makes a big splash". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
33. "Stellar Connections". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
34. "Stellar Connections: The story of the pictograms at Link light rail stations" (PDF). Sound Transit. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
35. "Central Link light rail schedule". Sound Transit. September 26, 2015. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
36. "Expanded Metro bus service coming; Link light rail ramps up in downtown tunnel" (Press release). King County Metro. September 16, 2015. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
37. Metro Transit System: Central Area (Map). King County Metro. March 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
38. "No Link light rail service on Nov. 15 for system upgrades" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2014.

External links

• Sound Transit Rider Guide