Bellevue’s light rail set to open in spring already having problems

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Bellevue’s light rail line isn’t supposed to open until the spring but something’s already broken.

Loose tiles have created a tripping hazard at the south Bellevue station. Sound Transit said the tiles were meant for indoor use, instead of outdoor. Some were also uneven.

The mistake could cost up to $3 million. The agency blames the problem on the contractor who did the work. And that contractor refuses to fix it.

“The contractor who initially installed these tiles refused to do the repair. And so that’s where the conflict is. So instead of, you know, waiting for that to be resolved there was the urgency to get this repaired before so that we could open the 2 Line in the spring,” said Sound Transit Spokesperson Rachelle Cunningham.

Sound Transit said it’s hiring a different contractor to replace the tiles. The work is slated to begin next week and is expected to be done by February.

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