Pierce County, WA urges Sound Transit to uphold 'promise' on light rail expansion

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - Pierce County leaders are urging Sound Transit to follow through on promised rail service projects. 

However, the agency is facing a $34.5 billion funding gap, putting future light rail expansion plans at risk throughout the region. 

The backstory:

For decades, the people of Pierce County have been paying taxes for the Sound Transit 3 Extension, known as ST3. Pierce County Council member Rosie Ayala said she believes the transit agency owes the South Sound.

"For us, primarily, Pierce County has been extremely patient in waiting for this regional transportation opportunity," said Councilmember Ayala.

Ayala represents District 4, where the Tacoma Dome is located.

ST3 was voter approved in 2016 to expand link light rail service to the Tacoma Dome. Tax dollars have been paying for that future service and other Sound Transit projects throughout the region. However, there is a chance Pierce County might not get its fair share.

"For us, I think there's a lot of, I'll categorize it as fear. Just fear that folks won't have that access and connectivity. The other part is also a relationship breaking with government. Like, what does it mean for us to wait for so long, invest and wait so long to kind of reap those benefits?" said Ayala.

What they're saying:

Sound Transit said it recognizes the "strong desire to keep projects moving forward." The agency said the budget shortfall is due to "escalating" construction costs, inflation, and revised revenue projections.

In a statement, the company wrote, "We project that if we do nothing, cost escalation and lower projected revenues will make the expansion program unaffordable starting in the 2030s."

Officials said Sound Transit launched the Enterprise Initiative to "proactively address the estimated $34.5 billion needed to fully fund the ST3 program approved by voters." Officials explained the initiative "is a comprehensive, holistic approach to solving affordability challenges that considers all agency costs, including system and project planning, capital construction, service operations, system maintenance, and potential revenue sources to plan a sustainable path forward."

Sound Transit said its board members are considering alternative expansion plans to save money. The Board could decide on how to move forward by May or June, according to the agency.

Dig deeper:

Those plans, however, could mean ST3 service to Pierce County would stop short in Fife, not the Tacoma Dome as originally planned. 

"I do think that there is an equitable approach for us to address this. And that will require some data-driven decision-making that will require some sound decisions around the impacts, and how much of this service will leverage big impacts to the community," said Ayala.

In a letter to Sound Transit, Pierce County Council argued stopping rail service in Fife is "unacceptable" and could make traffic congestion worse for thousands of commuters who travel north daily.

"We have about a quarter of our residents who travel outside of the county for employment. That's a big reason. We just statistically, we have a lot of people that are transit dependent," said Ayala.

With the county’s population estimated to grow by more than 275,000 people in the next two decades, Ayala said reliable transit is critical to keeping the region connected.

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