Sound Transit delays Ballard light rail amid $35B budget gap
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Riders wait to board a train at the new Judkins Park light rail station in March. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios
Sound Transit's board voted Thursday to postpone plans to build light rail to Ballard — part of an effort to address a $35 billion budget shortfall.
Why it matters: The plan delays some projects local voters approved 10 years ago in the Sound Transit 3 ballot measure — although it preserves plans to extend light rail to Tacoma, Everett and West Seattle.
The latest: The cost-saving plan funds construction of the Ballard line only to Seattle Center for now, rather than extending it to Ballard's Market Street as originally envisioned.
- It prioritizes building a second tunnel through downtown Seattle, which will expand light rail capacity for the region "for decades to come," Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, Sound Transit board chair, said during Thursday's meeting.
- Officials said they'll keep working toward building a line to Ballard, but that it's not affordable at the moment.
Catch up quick: Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss had instead proposed building a shorter light rail line from Ballard to Westlake, while delaying the second downtown tunnel.
- Strauss said the second tunnel should be a lower priority, since it will run parallel to the existing downtown tunnel and serve areas that mostly already have light rail access.
- His plan would have required riders coming from Ballard to transfer at Westlake to access the rest of the light rail system.
- That approach was voted down 14-4 by the larger Sound Transit board, with multiple board members saying it could put other projects at risk.
The big picture: The Ballard extension isn't the only item left unfunded. Other projects still in limbo include additional Sounder commuter service and several parking projects.
Yes, but: Another push by Seattle and King County officials to preserve the Graham Street light rail station was approved, keeping that South Seattle project in the pipeline.
What's next: Sound Transit officials say they'll continue working to find funding to pay for deferred projects, while completing design work for a future extension to Ballard.