If you were born and raised in Tacoma, I am sure you have realized that the place we once called “The Town,” has become a city! As more people start to pour into the communities of Tacoma, we are grateful for economic growth and a little eerie about the amount of traffic we now have. The Tacoma Link Extension is an important piece of Tacoma’s plan to sustain growth while decreasing traffic congestion! Driving through Tacoma today, you see a lot of construction and maybe asking yourself “what exactly is going on?” and “where are the stations/extensions being made?” I have some answers for you, covering the basic facts about the Tacoma Link Extension progress and logistics – here is your one stop shop to learn what the City of Tacoma’s plans are! Thinking of buying a home in Tacoma and want to optimize the location to be close to transit? Have a read.
By now most of us know that the Tacoma Link extension that runs through downtown Tacoma is now being extended to HillTop and North Tacoma. This means a 3.9km extension of the existing 2.5km Tacoma link light rail line that runs between Theater District / South 9th Street and Tacoma Dome. This new route will extend along Commerce Street to the Hilltop District through Stadium Way, North 1st Street, Division Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr Way. I find this extremely convenient for people who work in offices with no parking or 2-hour parking limits in these districts. Being able to take the Link will save you the hassle of trying to find parking, and paying off those parking tickets!
It’s a real drag when there is construction AND traffic, when you have places to be. Luckily, we are almost clear of the construction of the Tacoma Link extension and it can not come quick enough. If it has felt like a long-time, you’re not wrong – construction of the Tacoma link extension began in November 2018 and is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2022. Two more years, we can do this!
The combined four years of construction will include six new light rail stations:
- S 4th street
- Stadium District
- Tacoma General
- 6th Avenue
- Hilltop District
- St Joseph.
The existing Theater District station will be relocated to Old City Hall. The trains on the Tacoma link extension will run every ten minutes during peak hours and every 20 minutes during non-peak service with a projected ridership of 2,000 – 4,000 daily riders by 2026. The Link extension will remain free until 2022 and will begin charging soon thereafter.
Watching a city grow can be a beautiful thing. The progression and expansion is exciting and groundbreaking. If you can be a part of this change, I encourage you to – and I would also love to help!
