Federal Transit Administration Sound Transit Downtown Redmond Link Extension
Overview
Sound Transit, the regional transit authority for the Link Light Rail System, is managing and delivering the $1.53 billion Downtown Redmond Link Extension. The project includes a 3.4-mile extension of the Sound Transit Link Light Rail network and the Downtown Redmond Link Extension project alignment, including two new Link stations. The Downtown Redmond Link Extension project improves mobility and reduces traffic congestion in the downtown Redmond residential and retail core by providing improved bus and transit connections. This complex extension is part of a larger program extending the light rail east of Seattle and connecting Microsoft campuses to Downtown Redmond.
PMA Role
PMA reviews Sound Transit’s work to ensure reasonableness, quality, completeness, and reliability of project scope, cost, schedule, and technical capacity, as well as Sound Transit’s capability to operate the project. We also performed a review of the project recovery plan and took a programmatic approach to address the issues related to major concurrent projects being executed, market conditions, third parties, revenue service date, and competing resources. To realistically phase start-up in a way that recognized resource limitations during the simultaneous start of five different segments, PMA recommended and developed a resource-loaded master program schedule and conducted regular program-wide risk assessments. PMA identified and communicated program risks with all project managers, resulting in risk mitigation and resolution.