Sound Transit Board votes to expand light rail to West Seattle, Tacoma, not Ballard
Sound Transit board approves lines to West Seattle, Tacoma, but not Ballard
A plan to add a Sound Transit light rail station in Ballard is not happening, but West Seattle, Tacoma and Everett will be getting connections, the board approved Thursday.
SEATTLE - After a marathon six-hour board meeting, Sound Transit officials voted to move forward with nearly $200 billion in transportation expansion, however a light rail stop in Ballard did not make the final cut.
On Thursday, dozens and dozens of people packed into the Sound Transit Board meeting room to the point that it hit capacity and people were forced to watch from an overflow room.
Public input lasted more than an hour, with a hard cutoff at 3 p.m., even though dozens of people were still waiting to speak. The majority of them wanted the board to include Ballard in the ST3 expansion plan.
After hours of debating, the $194.7 billion ST3 expansion was approved with only two dissenting votes, King County Councilmember Claudia Bladucci and Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss, who was pushing for Ballard's inclusion in the final plan.
What did make the final plan:
Under the $194.7 billion dollar project, West Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett will get a light rail.
According to Sound Transit officials, the Tacoma Dome Link is expected to be finished by 2035,a dn the West Seattle expansion is expected to be completed around 2032. The Everett expansion is planned for two phases with the first phase completion expected around 2037 and the downtown station completed in 2041.
The initial Ballard link segment will also be constructed at the Seattle Center. However, the expansion planned to connect Ballard's Market Street to the light rail is listed as "not currently affordable within existing resources."
While transit officials emphasize that none of the ST3 construction plans that were cut are canceled, people worry with these delays, they might as well be.
Backing the Ballard extension
Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss, who serves on the Sound Transit Board and represents the Ballard district, argued that the community has already spent years paying for a service they voted to approve.
Supporters of the Ballard line pointed to strong projected ridership numbers as a key reason to maintain the project. According to Strauss, the Ballard extension would serve around 148,000 daily riders, which he noted is three times the estimated ridership of the East Link extension.
Sound Transit faces huge budget crunch ahead of May vote
As Sound Transit faces a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall, residents across the Puget Sound region are rallying ahead of a critical May 28 board vote to prevent massive cuts to planned light rail expansions.
Regional transit commitments
Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine previously stated that budget constraints would not derail the agency's long-term expansion goals. Weeks ago, Constantine assured the public that light rail would eventually reach all voter-approved destinations, including Ballard.
In a press conference, Sound Transit Board member and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay stated that while they passed the ST3 plan, there is still much work still to be done. They said the framework is in place, but execution of the plan will take lots of coordination over the years, along with final approval of future projects.
"Our work as a board is far from over, and I remain committed to delivering the full ST3 system that King County voters approved," said Executive Zahilay.
Sound Transit future projects
Under the ST3 plan, Sound Transit listed the following projects as being fully funded and will be completed through construction:
- Tacoma Dome Access Improvements
- West Seattle Link Extension, no Avalon Station
- Renton Transit Center Parking Garage
- Tacoma Dome Link Extension
- Everett Link Extension, phase 1
- Everett Link Extension, phase 2
- Ballard Link Extension, initial segment to Seattle Center
- TCC Tacoma Link Extension (now 2043)
- South Kirkland – Issaquah Link (now 2050)
- Link Operations and Maintenance Facility South
- Link Operations and Maintenance Facility North
- Graham Street Station
- Sounder Maintenance Base
Sound Transit also says the following projects are partially funded, with planning and design to happen in the future:
- Ballard Link Extension, final design phase
- Boeing Access Road Station, final design phase
- Sounder South additional trips (partially funded)
- DuPont Sounder Extension, planning phase
- Regional Parking Fund
- ST Express Bus Base (partially funded)
- High-capacity transit corridor studies/ST4 planning (partially funded)
"Unaffordable" projects
Sound Transit listed the following projects as "not currently affordable within existing resources" but will continue to pursue additional funding:
- Ballard Link Extension, Seattle Center to Market Street
- Boeing Access Road infill station
- Sounder additional trips
- DuPont Sounder Extension, final design and construction
- High-capacity transit corridor studies/ST4 planning
The following projects are all deferred until future funding resources are identified:
- Tacoma Dome Link Extension Parking
- Everett Link Extension Parking
- Stride Bus Rapid Transit Parking
- North Sammamish Park-and-Ride
- Edmonds and Mukilteo Parking and Access Improvements
- Bus on Shoulder project
- SR 162 Corridor Improvements
- Sounder South Platform Extensions
- Sounder South Station Access Improvements
- ST Express Bus Base, remainder
The Source: Information in this story came from Sound Transit and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Harbor seal shot in Hood Canal dies after months of rehabilitation
Accused monk seal rock thrower pleads not guilty in Hawaii court
Trump’s no-bond policy for immigrants in custody played out for years in Tacoma, WA
Late World Cup bookings expected to drive Seattle economic surge
Paid street parking coming to Bellevue
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.