Sound Transit recently announced that their 9th & Commerce cutover is planned to begin the night of Sunday, July 31st after the Tacoma Link Lightrail closes for the day. The following day, contractors will begin mobilizing their crews to begin a 45-day closure of the 9th and Commerce Street intersection. 

This work will be done in order to complete the connection of the existing T Line (Tacoma Link Line) to the Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension project. Traffic detours will be in place with the crosswalk and pedestrian access closures at the intersection of 9^th and Commerce St.

This work will consist of 24/7 construction on Commerce from 7th to 9th Streets, which includes utility relocation, systems installations, installing track slab, roadway restoration and pedestrian ramps. This work will also relocate the Theatre District Station to what is now the Commerce Street Station (the current Commerce Street Station will be renamed Theater District Station and be in operation after the cut-over). 

Throughout the entire duration of the T-line closure, there will be a bus shuttle providing transit service in the corridor, similar to what occurred for the T-line closure last summer.  The shuttle bus location will be located on 9^th and Pacific during this work.

For parking garage users of the 754 Commerce Street garage; Sound Transit states that they will need to relocate you to alternative parking similar to recent occurrences where construction will be blocking garage access. 

Traffic control, noise, and operations impacts will include:

• 9^th and Commerce intersection closure to vehicles.  Detour signage will be placed to have vehicles use Pacific, Market S. 11^th and S 7^th streets.

• Tacoma Link Lightrail operations will be suspended during the closure and a bus bridge on Pacific will replace it during the closure

• 9^th and Commerce crosswalks will be closed due to restoration of the ramps and sidewalk area on each corner

• Access for vehicles on Commerce between S. 7^th and S. 9^th streets will be blocked.  Access to the garage on the corner of 9^th and Commerce will be available through the use of flaggers.

• 24-7 work is needed to perform this work.  Expect noise impacts from demolition, saw-cutting and construction crews and equipment

• Road closed signage at all intersections approaching 9^th and Commerce

• The current Theater District Station will be demo’d and removed.  The future station will be located adjacent to the Old City Hall building.

Parking & Bus Impacts:

• Parking will be removed to accommodate for the bus shuttles along Pacific that is in place for the Tacoma Link shutdown.  On the map below you will see the general location of the shuttle bus stops in the blue bus circle logo.  The one 9^th and Pacific is on the north side of 9^th just east of Pacific Avenue (on the side of Fresh Rolls). 

• Pierce Transit will also designate Sound Transit & Pierce Transit bus stops/zones for customers to use on Market Street, while the Commerce transit center is closed for customers use. PT will still be using the bus tunnel on for coach changes, operator layover facilities and shift changes while the intersection is closed. All bus stops/zones on Commerce and on 9th Street will be posted closed by PT, with customers being directed to bus stops located on Market Street, or open bus stops located outside the road closed area.

• For Pierce Transit and ST service impacts;  all PT and ST operations, bus stops and zones located on Commerce between 9^th and 11^th  will be closed and they will have to move their transit operations to Market St between 11^th and 13^th, heading North on the Eastside of the street. The ST 590 & 594 heading in both directions (to and from Seattle) will serve its own bus stop/ zone, to be located on the corner of Market Street & 11^th Street, on the Southwest corner of Market Street.

All bus stops served by Sound Transit buses located on Pacific Avenue in Tacoma will remain open and served by the Sound Transit routes 590 & 594 while the intersection of 9^th & Commerce is closed.

If you have any specific questions regarding this project or your business / residence, please reach out to Sound Transit’s Deputy Director of Construction at wilbert.santos@soundtransit.org

Sound Transit thanks you for your patience during construction as we get closer to the completion of the Hilltop Tacoma Link project.

For more information or if you have any questions, you can join our virtual Community Meeting on Thursday, August 4th at 9am to hear from one of Sound Transit’s team members. Join the virtual meeting here.

Please note that the Downtown Tacoma Partnership will share timely updates and information with the community as we receive it. You can stay tuned with us by subscribing to our weekly email newsletter.