Kent Des Moines station is a future station on Sound Transit's Federal Way Link Extension, part of the Link light rail system. It is to be located in western Kent, Washington near Highline College. It is scheduled to open in 2026 as part of the extension of the 1 Line to Federal Way Transit Center.
Location
editKent Des Moines station will be an elevated structure above 30th Avenue South, east of State Route 99 (Pacific Highway) near its intersection with State Route 516 (Kent-Des Moines Road). The station would be located adjacent to Highline College and be served by a permanent 500-stall parking garage and several temporary surface parking lots. The area around the station, including the temporary surface parking lots, is planned to be redeveloped with transit-oriented mixed-use development under the "Envision Midway" plan proposed by the city of Kent.[1][2]
A shopping center to the south of the proposed station was considered for the line's operations and maintenance facility, but the Kent city government passed a zoning ordinance in January 2019 to prevent its use—in part because the shopping center includes a recently opened Dick's Drive-In.[3][4]
In 2022, the station was officially named Kent Des Moines, replacing its working name of Kent/Des Moines. The name was recommended ahead of Highline station and Highline College station following public polling.[5] The extension's opening was delayed to 2026 due to construction issues on the section between Kent Des Moines and Star Lake stations; a potential early opening for Kent Des Moines was discussed at a Sound Transit meeting in 2023 due to the expected completion of the station in late 2024.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Sound Transit Board identifies preferred alternative for light rail extension to Kent/Des Moines, Federal Way" (Press release). Sound Transit. July 23, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ Hunter, Steve (October 29, 2015). "Kent light rail station proposed for east of Pacific Highway". Kent Reporter. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ Hunter, Steve (January 17, 2019). "Kent City Council opposes light rail yard at Lowe's, Dick's Drive-In sites". Kent Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
- ^ Krell, Alexis (January 17, 2019). "A Dick's Drive-In just opened in Kent. Sound Transit might take it away". The News Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
- ^ Hunter, Steve (June 27, 2022). "Sound Transit approves light rail station names in Kent, Federal Way". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (May 26, 2023). "Wetlands bridge adds delay and $72 million to light-rail project". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
External links
editPreceding station | Sound Transit | Following station | ||
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Future service | ||||
Angle Lake toward Lynnwood City Center
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1 Line (2026)
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Star Lake toward Federal Way Downtown
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