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Sound Transit

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Sound Transit Rebalances ST3, Puts Ballard Link on Hold Amid Major Budget Gap
transportation20 hours ago

Sound Transit Rebalances ST3, Puts Ballard Link on Hold Amid Major Budget Gap

Sound Transit approved a sweeping ST3 rebalancing to address a $34 billion budget shortfall over the next two decades, deferring or delaying major lines including the Ballard Link north of downtown and leaving about $2.5 billion in projects fully deferred. Graham Street Station was funded; Boeing Access Road remains unaffordable; Renton’s 700-stall parking garage was funded by transferring $100 million from the 4 Line. The agency will pursue cost savings, new financing tools, and independent oversight, plus an RFI to speed delivery, but there is no firm Ballard timeline as West Seattle Link continues toward design. Advocates protested Ballard’s deferral, arguing voters approved ST3; officials say ST3 is not canceled, just recalibrated.

via The Urbanist|
#ballard-link#funding#sound-transit
Strauss Seeks to Rewire ST3 Funds, Reigniting Ballard Tunnel Debate
transportation4 days ago

Strauss Seeks to Rewire ST3 Funds, Reigniting Ballard Tunnel Debate

As Sound Transit nears a May vote to update ST3, Seattle Councilmember Dan Strauss proposes reallocating North King County funds to finance a Ballard spur and pause the full second downtown tunnel, effectively keeping the tunnel funded but not fully built while creating a shorter Ballard connection. The move could save billions (analysts cite more than $4 billion in 2025 dollars) but would delay Ballard’s full build, risking decades of limited service for the neighborhood as Sound Transit grapples with a large funding gap (~$11–$13 billion through 2052) and federal approvals that have slowed Ballard’s environmental review. Supporters say every regional center would finally connect to the spine; critics warn Ballard riders would face transfers and longer trips without a complete tunnel.

via The Urbanist|
#ballard-link#funding-gap#second-downtown-tunnel
Seattle Urges Speed in Light Rail Expansion, Rejects Indefinite Deferrals
transportation22 days ago

Seattle Urges Speed in Light Rail Expansion, Rejects Indefinite Deferrals

At a Seattle City Hall forum, city and county leaders pressed Sound Transit to keep all ST3 light-rail expansions moving, arguing against indefinite deferrals of Ballard, Graham Street, and other stations and demanding 100% design plans with firm construction dates. Advocates floated funding tweaks (longer bond terms up to 75 years, state/federal grants, and a rental-car tax) alongside cost-saving design choices like trapezoidal station layouts to close a $34.5 billion funding gap while preserving regional connections to Snohomish, Everett, and Tacoma. The discussion also covered automated light-rail concepts, CID station planning, and the need for regional collaboration, as Snohomish County Executive Somers pushes a spine-first plan that delays some infill projects. A Sound Transit board vote on revised finances was anticipated later in May.

via The Urbanist|
#ballard#financing#funding
Somers Plan Keeps Rail Spine Intact, Delays Ballard and Eastside Links
transportation22 days ago

Somers Plan Keeps Rail Spine Intact, Delays Ballard and Eastside Links

Sound Transit chair Dave Somers proposes a revenue-conscious revision of ST3 that preserves the light-rail spine to Everett and Tacoma while deferring or delaying several costly extensions, including Ballard Link and the Eastside line. West Seattle Link would move ahead, but the Ballard northern segment and the Rainier Valley infill station face delays or uncertainty, and the South Kirkland–Issaquah link is pushed to 2050. The Sounder N Line would end in 2033, and a T Line extension to Tacoma Community College would stretch to 2043, with a Sounder extension to DuPont deferred indefinitely. The 18-member Sound Transit Board has about three weeks to negotiate changes before a May vote to finalize a new ST3 plan.

via The Urbanist|
#ballard-link#rainier-valley-infill#sound-transit
Sound Transit lays out plan to close $34.5B funding gap, reshaping ST3 rail expansion
transportation22 days ago

Sound Transit lays out plan to close $34.5B funding gap, reshaping ST3 rail expansion

Sound Transit unveiled a plan to close a $34.5 billion funding shortfall over the next two decades by categorizing ST3 rail projects into fully funded, partially funded, and deferred groups, delaying ambitious extensions like Ballard and West Seattle while preserving some lines and funding for design work; a May 28 board vote will determine which elements proceed, with lawmakers weighing new financing tools to bridge the gap.

via KOMO|
#ballard-link#funding-shortfall#light-rail
Federal Delays Put Ballard Link Plan in Limbo
transportation1 month ago

Federal Delays Put Ballard Link Plan in Limbo

Sound Transit’s 7.7-mile Ballard Link Extension faces renewed delays as the Federal Transit Administration won’t approve the Draft Environmental Impact Statement’s publication, pushing back a preferred alignment and potentially forcing a phased build. The holdup, tied to guidance on federal DEI-related orders, is driving up costs and prompting the board to consider cost-cutting moves, station consolidations, and alternative alignments while the project and its funding plan navigate a significant budget shortfall and lengthy NEPA review.

via The Urbanist|
#ballard-link-extension#deis#fta
Crosslake Connection Opens as 2 Line Links Seattle and Eastside Across Lake Washington
transportation2 months ago

Crosslake Connection Opens as 2 Line Links Seattle and Eastside Across Lake Washington

Sound Transit opens the Crosslake Connection, extending the 2 Line across Lake Washington to Lynnwood and adding Mercer Island and Judkins Park stations. The project, which connects with the 1 Line at Chinatown-International District, brings roughly 10-minute service along a new floating-bridge route and is hailed as a decades-long milestone that significantly improves Eastside access to downtown Seattle and major destinations, with accompanying celebrations and public events.

via The Urbanist|
#crosslake-connection#light-rail#mercer-island
Sound Transit weighs scaled-back ST3 to close funding gap
transportation2 months ago

Sound Transit weighs scaled-back ST3 to close funding gap

Sound Transit is weighing three illustrative options to shorten, phase, or delay ST3 light-rail expansions to West Seattle and Ballard to close a $34.5 billion funding gap. The plans would cap certain segments (West Seattle to Alaska Junction with Avalon removed; Ballard to Seattle Center) or delay both and phase other projects, with blends likely. Cost estimates could drop by about $2.1-$2.6B to roughly $4.9-$5.3B (2025 dollars), but long-term affordability remains a challenge into the 2030s. Local leaders push to keep West Seattle shovel-ready and pursue Ballard and the regional spine, while Ballard's EIS remains on track for 2026. The neighboring ST2 project’s I-90 link is opening next week, six years behind schedule.

via KOMO|
#funding#light-rail#seattle
Crosslake Connection completes 2 Line, uniting Eastside and Seattle by rail
transportation4 months ago

Crosslake Connection completes 2 Line, uniting Eastside and Seattle by rail

Sound Transit will open the Crosslake Connection on March 28, completing the 2 Line and linking Redmond to Lynnwood with new Mercer Island and Judkins Park stations, using the floating I-90 bridge to connect the Eastside and Seattle and integrating with the 1 Line at International District/Chinatown. The expanded system will reach 63 miles of light rail, with frequent peak service and closely spaced headways on the busiest stretch, after years of delays and budget overruns; additional opening details will be announced as the date approaches.

via komonews.com|
#crosslake-connection#east-link#lake-washington
Crosslake Rail Opening March 28 Completes Seattle–Bellevue Link
transportation4 months ago

Crosslake Rail Opening March 28 Completes Seattle–Bellevue Link

Sound Transit says the Crosslake Connection of the 2 Line will open March 28, linking South Bellevue and International District/Chinatown across Lake Washington and expanding Seattle–Bellevue light-rail coverage to 63 miles with 50 stations; after years of delays due to I-90 floating-bridge plinth issues and a partial starter line that opened in 2024, officials still aim to beat a May 31 target and support World Cup travel in mid-2026.

via king5.com|
#bellevue#crosslake-connection#light-rail
transportation4 months ago

Floating Bridge Light Rail Opens East Link’s Crosslake Connection on March 28

Sound Transit says the Crosslake Connection, completing the East Link 2 Line, will open for passenger service March 28, linking the Lynnwood–Redmond corridor with the 1 Line at International District/Chinatown via new Mercer Island and Judkins Park stations on a floating bridge over Lake Washington, with service roughly 5 a.m.–1 a.m. weekdays and Saturdays, 6 a.m.–midnight Sundays, and high-frequency core headways.

via Sound Transit|
#2-line#crosslake-connection#east-link