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Word on the Street

The latest news in and around Tacoma, Pierce County and South Puget Sound

Category: Downtown Tacoma

Oct.
25th

Take a look at the new paint job on the Murray Morgan Bridge

Work on the Murray Morgan Bridge renovation has progressed to the point where the white containment fabric is being removed and the new black paint job is visible.

I think it looks nice though I know some preferred other color proposals such as green or silver and even a burnt orange like the Golden Gate Bridge.

Here is my rather weak cellphone photo of the half-exposed bridge.

The project also has a web cam here

And here is the city’s webpage devoted to the project with updates, including some upcoming closures to marine traffic..

Oct.
7th

Heidelberg water tower comes down

A nostalgic piece of Tacoma’s skyline – the Heidelberg Brewery water tower – fell Friday, as crews continued demolition of the old brewery complex. Developers of a new 164-room Holiday Inn Express on adjacent property at South 21st and C streets are taking down the building as part of the project.

The city Landmarks Commission approved the demolition of the Columbia-Heidelberg building, which had been abandoned for years and was the subject of a dangerous building complaint. It was further damaged by fire over the summer. Preservationists unsuccessfully advocated saving the water tower.

Here’s Kathleen Cooper’s earlier

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Sep.
9th

Update: New Commerce Street Link Station will be open for passengers Sept. 15

Tacoma public works engineer Dan Seabrands reports that the new station will open next Thursday, Sept. 15.

Sound Transit and the city will conduct tests Sunday evening to make sure everything works, especially the signaling and safety features. If those check out, as Seabrands said he expects, the link trains will begin picking up and dropping off riders the following Thusday.

I rode Link Thursday and noticed that Sound Transit has made a change in train frequency as a result of the added stop. Rather than run every 10 minutes during peak times and every 20 minutes at other times

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Sep.
7th

New Commerce Street link stations are close to completion.

After looking through the new downtown grocer store I walked up to Commerce to check the progress on the new Sound Transit light rail stations between S. 13th and S. 11th streets.

They look close but still have signs saying they are not ready for riders yet. The city’s website says the project, which began in April, will be finished Sept. 2. I’m checking with city engineering staff to get a new date.

This is a $500,000 city of Tacoma-funded project that is tied in to the public-private joint venture to renovate the city parking garage into Pacific Plaza. Developers

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