Wikipedia

Redmond Technology station

Redmond Technology station, formerly Overlake Transit Center, is a bus and light rail station in Redmond, Washington, United States. The bus station opened in 2002 adjacent to State Route 520 on the headquarters campus of Microsoft. It was served by Sound Transit Express and King County Metro, as well as Microsoft's private shuttle buses. The light rail station is the eastern terminus of the 2 Line, part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, and opened on April 27, 2024.

 63  Redmond Technology
View of the light rail station from an overpass on NE 40th St.
General information
Location3929 156th Avenue Northeast
Redmond, Washington
United States
Coordinates47°38′41″N 122°08′01″W / 47.64472°N 122.13361°W / 47.64472; -122.13361
Owned bySound Transit
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Train operatorsSound Transit
Bus stands6
Bus operatorsKing County Metro
Sound Transit Express
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Parking222 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesLockers and racks
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedFebruary 4, 2002 (February 4, 2002) (bus station)[1]
April 27, 2024 (rail station)
Rebuilt2017–2024
Previous namesOverlake Transit Center (2002–2017)
Services
Preceding station Sound Transit Following station
Link
Overlake Village
toward South Bellevue
 2 Line
Starter Line
 Terminus
Future service
Overlake Village
toward Lynnwood City Center
 2 Line
(2025)
 Marymoor Village
toward Downtown Redmond
Location
Map

Location

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The light rail station is located adjacent to State Route 520 near its interchange with NE 40th Street.[2]

A pedestrian bridge over State Route 520, connecting the station to the Microsoft west campus, was funded by Microsoft and the City of Redmond in 2013 and began construction in 2020.[3][4] It opened in April 2024 after the completion of approach ramps and will be maintained by the city government.[5][6]

History

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Overlake Transit Center opened on February 4, 2002, and cost $8 million to construct with funds from Sound Transit, the City of Redmond, King County Metro, Microsoft, and the Federal Transit Administration, opened on February 4, 2002.[1] The new transit center initially lacked passenger shelters and a paved parking lot, which were added in May. The 10-acre (4.0 ha) site was donated by Microsoft, who also contributed $1.2 million to the project and added commuter bus and shuttle bus services.[7] Microsoft's involvement was part of a development agreement with the City of Redmond for its campus expansion project.[8] The transit center had eight bus bays.[9]

 
The bus bays at the old Overlake Transit Center before it was demolished

The park and ride closed in May 2017, as part of preparations for light rail construction.[10] In late July, Sound Transit shifted bus service to a series of temporary bus bays near NE 36th Street and began demolition of the old transit center.[11] The new light rail station's name was shortened from Redmond Technology Center to Redmond Technology in March 2018 in response to a request from Redmond and Microsoft.[12]

The new bus bays at the station were opened in December 2019 under the partially completed parking garage.[13] During construction of the parking garage, cracks were discovered in the concrete above the bus exit. The bus stops and pedestrian walkways were temporarily moved from the garage in April 2020 while an investigation was conducted.[14] The southeast corner of the garage, where several structural deficiencies were found, was demolished in 2021.[15] The bus loop reopened for Microsoft buses in August 2023 and was followed a month later by Sound Transit Express and King County Metro buses.[16][17] The garage was reopened for parking on October 31.[18]

Light rail service from the station began on April 27, 2024, with trains operating between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology as part of the 2 Line's starter segment.[19][20] Service is expected to be extended further east to Downtown Redmond in 2025.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b Lindblom, Mike; Brooks, Diane (February 2, 2002). "Modern transit centers for riders in Everett, Redmond to debut Monday". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  2. ^ "Redmond Technology Station". Sound Transit. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  3. ^ Ervin, Keith (November 26, 2013). "Microsoft pitches in on bridge over Overlake Transit Center". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  4. ^ "City of Redmond, Sound Transit team up for new pedestrian-bicycle bridge" (Press release). Sound Transit. August 28, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  5. ^ Minnick, Benjamin (May 22, 2020). "Kiewit-Hoffman installs first part of pedestrian bridge over SR 520". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  6. ^ Schlosser, Kurt (April 22, 2024). "Microsoft and partners open major new pedestrian bridge to span campus and transportation needs". GeekWire. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Brooks, Diane (May 15, 2002). "Overlake center all gussied up for its new role in area transit". The Seattle Times. p. B3. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  8. ^ Perry, Nick (August 7, 2001). "Microsoft giving land, money for Park & Ride". Eastside Journal. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via NewsBank.
  9. ^ "Overlake Transit Center Boarding Locations". King County Metro. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  10. ^ Graf, Heather (May 1, 2017). "East Link construction to close two popular Park & Ride l". KING 5 News. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  11. ^ "Construction alert: Changes coming to Overlake Transit Center". Sound Transit. July 26, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  12. ^ "Sound Transit Motion No. M2018-38" (PDF). Sound Transit. March 22, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  13. ^ Cunningham, Rachelle (December 10, 2019). "Overlake Transit Center bus stops are moving". The Platform. Sound Transit. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  14. ^ Lindblom, Mike (May 1, 2020). "Cracks halt progress on Sound Transit park-and-ride garage in Redmond". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  15. ^ "Redmond Technology Station Garage Update". Sound Transit. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "Stay Informed about the Redmond Technology Station Bus Loop Opening". City of Redmond. August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  17. ^ "Sound Transit announces September 2023 Service Change" (Press release). Sound Transit. August 31, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  18. ^ Lindblom, Mike (November 1, 2023). "Look both ways! Eastside light-rail trains begin practice runs". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  19. ^ Lindblom, Mike (February 15, 2024). "Sound Transit sets a date for Bellevue-Redmond trains". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  20. ^ Sires, Cameron (April 27, 2024). "Long-awaited Bellevue-to-Redmond light rail line opens for riders". Bellevue Reporter. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  21. ^ Lindblom, Mike (August 24, 2023). "Eastside-only light rail should open in March, Sound Transit says". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
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