SEATTLE — As Sound Transit prepares to open the “Crosslake Connection” this weekend, riders may notice something new posted at stations: alerts warning that weather conditions could impact train service.
Those notices are part of a broader safety system tied to what makes this project unique: the first light rail line in the world to operate across a floating bridge. Beginning Saturday, trains will carry passengers across Lake Washington on the Interstate 90 bridge. But because the structure floats on water, engineers say weather — specifically wind-driven waves — can affect how trains run.
“It required an awful lot of testing and in fact we are going to continue the monitoring moving forward,” Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine said.
Sound Transit has installed a system that continuously monitors wind speed, direction and duration, using that data to estimate wave height on the lake. When waves reach certain thresholds — around a foot and a half — train operations are adjusted…