Pinehurst | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Under construction in August 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 5th Avenue NE & NE 130th Street Seattle, Washington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 47°43′24″N122°19′26″W / 47.72333°N 122.32389°W /47.72333; -122.32389 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | Link light rail station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operated by | Sound Transit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2side platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opening | 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pinehurst station is a futurestation onSound Transit'sLink light rail system inSeattle, Washington, United States. It would be built on a section of theLynnwood Link Extension, adjacent to the intersection ofInterstate 5 and Northeast 130th Street in northern Seattle. The station was originallydeferred from Lynnwood Link but restored as aninfill station project under theSound Transit 3 ballot measure, with an opening tentatively set for 2026.
The station will be located along the east side ofInterstate 5 at its interchange with Northeast 130th Street and Roosevelt Way Northeast nearHaller Lake and theJackson Park golf course. It will serve several outlying neighborhoods, includingBitter Lake andLake City, with proposed bus connections.[1][2]
Sound Transit initially estimated that the station would serve less than 1,000 daily riders by 2040,[3] but ridership would grow if the area around the station are proposed and approved.[1] A revised estimate in 2021 projected 3,100 to 4,600 daily riders, of which most would switch from adjacent stations.[4]
The 130th Street station wasdeferred from the final plans for theLynnwood Link Extension, which was approved by the Sound Transit Board on April 23, 2015. Instead, a provision for future accommodation for construction of the station without impacting service was included in the board's resolution, at an estimated cost of $10 million.[5][6][7]
The station's construction was supported by advocacy groups from surrounding neighborhoods, includingBitter Lake to the west andLake City to the east. TheSeattle City Council passed a resolution in October 2013 recommending the inclusion of a station at NE 130th Street in the finalenvironmental impact statement for the Lynnwood Link project.[8] In March 2016, city councilmemberDebora Juarez of the 5th district, which encompasses most of north Seattle that would be served by the station, criticized its exclusion and lack of priority when compared to other proposals in the Sound Transit 3 plan. She called the station "the focal point of a powerful east–west transit connection", citing a population of 90,000 residents who could benefit from feeder bus service to the station.[9][10] The city council also recommended the formation of anurban area at the site of the proposed station, allowing for increased building heights andmixed-use development under the city'scomprehensive plan.[11] A 2013 report from Sound Transit determined that the station area held limited potential fortransit-oriented development, citing existingsingle-family homes, the presence ofJackson Park and other undevelopable areas, and the low desirability forretail to develop at the site when considering proximity toNorthgate Mall.[12] Sound Transit expressed concerns over the inclusion of NE 130th Street station in the Lynnwood Link Extension, including a possible loss of federal funding proposed for the project after therecord of decision was published without the station.[10]
The draft plan forSound Transit 3, aballot measure for light rail expansion, was revised in May 2016 to include $80 million for aninfill station at NE 130th Street that could open in 2031. Earlier plans had listed the station as provisional,deferred until additional funding could be found, but lobbying to the Sound Transit Board by Seattle councilmembers allowed for the amendment to pass unanimously.[13][14]
A proposal to open the station as soon as 2025 was presented to Sound Transit in January 2020, costing $23 million less than the estimate to build the station in 2031, but requiring additional debt to be raised sooner.[1] In February 2020, the Sound Transit Board approved $29 million in funds for final engineering of the NE 130th Street station, with the goal of opening in 2025. Accelerated construction of the station is expected to cost $144 million.[15] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic and its effects on local sales tax revenue, Sound Transit considered delaying the projected opening to 2036. The Sound Transit Board voted in August 2021 to maintain the projected 2025 opening by transferring funds from a delayed parking garage inLake Forest Park.[16] The station foundations and substructure were completed in early 2022 as part of work for the Lynnwood Link Extension.[17] In June 2022, the board approved a $240 million budget to construct the NE 130th station, which is scheduled to open in mid-2026.[4]
Work on the platforms and overhead structures began in late 2023.[18] The construction zone on each platform was covered by a wall with temporary murals created by Romsom Bustillo, the commissioned artist for the station's permanent artwork. Work continued after regular service on theLynnwood Link Extension began in August 2024.[19] The station's permanent name, Pinehurst, was adopted by the Sound Transit Board in January 2025 after the conclusion of a public survey with several options.[20] Other finalists included Pinehurst/130th, Pinehurst/Haller Lake, and North Seattle/130th.[21] Construction of the roof began in January 2025 and required more than two months of service disruptions on the 1 Line, including single-tracking and reduced frequency during evenings on weekdays and all day on weekends.[22][23] The installation of stairways at Pinehurst station began in March 2025 with work during track shutdowns and a continuation of the reduced schedule used for the roof work.[19][24]