Star Lake station

Star Lake is a future light rail station in southwestern Kent, Washington, United States. It is part of the Link light rail system, operated by Sound Transit, and is being constructed for the Federal Way Link Extension. The station will be located at the existing Star Lake Park and Ride, adjacent to the intersection of Interstate 5 and South 272nd Street.

Construction of the station was originally approved by voters in the 2008 Sound Transit 2 ballot measure, but deferred two years later after a funding shortfall.[1] The Sound Transit 3 ballot measure, passed in 2016, re-instated funding and approval for the station, as well as an extension to Federal Way Transit Center.[2] The extension is scheduled to open in 2026.[3]

History

Star Lake station is planned to be a retained cut structure attached to a 1,240-stall parking garage near the intersection of Interstate 5 and South 272nd Street.[4][5][6] The existing park-and-ride at the site, opened in January 1981 by Metro Transit,[7] closed on March 22, 2020, to prepare for light rail construction on the site.[8]

An alternative option that was not chosen as the preferred route in July 2015 would have placed the station at the intersection of State Route 99 and South 272nd Street, closer to the Redondo neighborhood in Des Moines.[9]

The station's location was finalized in January 2017, after negotiations with Federal Way Public Schools over the impacts to an elementary school on the south side of South 272nd Street. The school district planned to construct a new elementary school at the Redondo Park and Ride on State Route 99, while the current site would be used for light rail construction.[10][11] The plan was contingent on the passage of a bond measure in 2018, which was passed by voters.

In 2022, the station was officially named for Star Lake, replacing its working name of South 272nd Street.[12]

References
  1. "Sound Transit Motion No. M2010-102" (PDF). Sound Transit. December 16, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  2. Dawson, Rachel (January 30, 2017). "Officials reach agreement on Federal Way Link Extension's impact to Mark Twain Elementary". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  3. Lindblom, Mike (May 26, 2023). "Wetlands bridge adds delay and $72 million to light-rail project". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  4. "Kent/Des Moines to Federal Way Transit Center Light Rail" (PDF). Sound Transit 3 Draft Plan. Sound Transit. March 29, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  5. "Sound Transit Board identifies preferred alternative for light rail extension to Kent/Des Moines, Federal Way" (Press release). Sound Transit. July 23, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  6. Hunter, Steve (December 30, 2015). "Sound Transit proposals could benefit Kent". Kent Reporter. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  7. "Metro Puts Service Expansion in Action". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. January 30, 1981. p. A3.
  8. Hunter, Steve (March 17, 2020). "Star Lake Park-and-Ride lot in Kent to close March 22". Kent Reporter. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  9. Lindblom, Mike (July 23, 2015). "Sound Transit board favors I-5 light-rail route from SeaTac to Federal Way". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  10. Dawson, Rachel (January 30, 2017). "Officials reach agreement on Federal Way Link Extension's impact to Mark Twain Elementary". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  11. Lynn, Adam (February 26, 2017). "School might have to jump out of the way for light rail". The News Tribune. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  12. Hunter, Steve (June 27, 2022). "Sound Transit approves light rail station names in Kent, Federal Way". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
Preceding station Sound Transit Following station
Link
Future service
Kent Des Moines
toward Northgate
 1 Line
(2026)
 Federal Way Downtown
Terminus

47°21′32″N 122°17′51″W

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