The Sea-Tac International Airport/SeaTac City Center light rail station will begin service at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray made the announcement Friday morning, Nov. 13, inside the new station at International Boulevard South and South 176th Street.

Sen. Murray called light rail the "crown jewel of our transportation system."

"(The opening) will fulfill our promise that travelers from anywhere in the world will be able to step off a plane at Sea-Tac, board light rail and be in Seattle in 36 minutes," Murray declared.

Murray also touted the convenience of light rail for those who work or live near the station.

With new service from the station, the light rail system will be extended 1.7 miles south from the Tukwila station at International Boulevard and South 154th Street. Tukwila to Seattle light-rail service began in July.
Officials hurried to get the new station open in December to accommodate holiday travel and visitors to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver B.C., set to open in February.

"We made history in July by opening the doors of light rail to the public and since that time our region has enjoyed a new convenient, environmentally-friendly and low-cost way to get around," Murray said.

In the future, three new Highline area light rail stations will be added at South 200th Street in SeaTac, near Highline Community College in Des Moines and at South 272nd Street in Federal Way.

Last November, voters approved funds to also expand light rail to Lynnwood and the Eastside.

Seattle Mayor and Sound Transit board chairman Greg Nickels noted that the expansion means that within 14 years, light rail will expand to connect with 70 percent of Puget Sound area's population and 80 percent of area jobs.

In March 2008, Sound Transit approved a $72 million contract with Mowat Construction to build the airport/city center station. The original bid had come in at $95.3 million--$43.5 million more than the engineer's estimate.

Air travelers will be able to access the airport/ city center station through the airport garage. Light-rail riders will also be able to cross a sky bridge over International Boulevard to reach the City of SeaTac's planned downtown City Center area.

City of SeaTac staffers and lawmakers have ambitious plans for the area across the boulevard from the station.
A "kiss 'n ride" lot will be situated next to the sky bridge.

According to Acting City Manager Todd Cutts, the city plans to exercise an option to purchase two-/thirds of an acre east of the "kiss 'n ride" lot for a temporary surface parking lot.

The SeaTac City Council voted last month to condemn the Dollar parking lot immediately north. Cutts said the city plans to erect a public parking garage on the spot.

Design and engineering work is also underway to construct a "main street" parallel to the boulevard.

SeaTac officials envision a city center/entertainment district with restaurants, entertainment venues, shopping and other mixed-use developments, Cutts noted.

Staffers will reveal preliminary results of a city center marketing study at a public meeting on Monday, Dec. 5, Cutts reported. The time and venue will be announced later.