West Seattle Link expansion costs balloon past 2022 estimate

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Visual simulation of alternative DEL-5 Southwest Avalon Way looking north at southwest Genesee Street

SEATTLE - A long-awaited West Seattle Link extension will cost even more. The cost update comes just after Sound Transit finally wrapped up construction on the Lynnwood extension.

New documents from Sound Transit include a cost estimate which is well over a billion dollars more than projected just two years ago.

Back in 2022, the Link extension was expected to cost $3.9 billion. That number has now risen nearly 30% on the low end, and potentially 40% on the higher end.

The project is now likely to cost $5.1 billion to $5.6 billion, according to an updated environmental impact statement.

In the transit authority's final environmental impact, costs of new segment extensions will cost as follows:

SoDo: $750-800 million
Crossing: $1.9-2.15 billion
Delridge: $700-750 million
Alaska Junction: $1.75-1.9 billion

The release of their final impact report signals the move to the transit system's next development phase.

Planning lasted from 2017-2019, environmental review from 2019-2024, next up is design from 2024-2027. Lastly, construction will commence from 2027-2032.

More information on the project, timelines, and costs can be found on the West Seattle Link Expansion Sound Transit page.