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Light rail parking garage, guideway going up on Kent’s West Hill

Published 11:10 am Thursday, December 9, 2021

By Steve Hunter

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Crews construct a 500-spot parking garage for Sound Transit’s Kent Des Moines Station light rail stop along Pacific Highway South, just south of Kent Des Moines Road. COURTESY PHOTO, City of Kent
A look at the Sound Transit light rail elevated guideway and parking garage going up on Kent’s West Hill along Pacific Highway South. COURTESY PHOTO, City of Kent
The elevated Sound Transit light rail guideway looking south toward Interstate 5. Pacific Highway South is on the right. COURTESY PHOTO, City of Kent

Crews are making progress on Kent’s West Hill with the construction of the new Sound Transit light rail line and parking garage.

The estimated $3.1 billion project will extend light rail 7.8 miles from Angle Lake Station in SeaTac to the Federal Way Transit Center. Passenger service is slated to start in 2024.

Floors are going up for the Kent Des Moines Station parking garage that will include 500 parking stalls and sit just east of the new elevated light rail station along a new South 236th Street, just south of Pacific Highway South and across from Highline College.

Work also continues on the elevated guideway that will go over Kent Des Moines Road, aka State Route 516, and to Interstate 5 where the line will run parallel to the west of the freeway.

Crews also are working on a new parking garage at South 272nd Street, just west of I-5. That facility will accommodate 1,100 vehicles.

The area around the Kent Des Moines Station will eventually be redeveloped by Sound Transit, which is using the property now to stage construction equipment. The city of Kent is partnering with the agency to ensure a vision for future development focused on the opportunities that can be created through easy access to transit.

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