Ballard residents could wait until 2060 for light rail to reach Market Street. On Oct. 19, they can ask Sound Transit why.
Councilmember Dan Strauss, who represents District 6 and sits on the Sound Transit Board, is hosting a community forum on the Ballard Link Extension at the National Nordic Museum's Osberg Great Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Sound Transit board members, agency staff and other elected officials will take questions and share updates on the project's timeline, cost-reduction efforts and next steps, according to Sound Transit's event listing.
The forum follows months of timeline slippage and a $7 billion to $9 billion shortfall on the project.
How the timeline unraveled
When voters approved the Sound Transit 3 (ST3) package in November 2016, the full Ballard Link Extension was expected to open in 2035. In 2021, Sound Transit pushed the opening to 2037 or 2039 after realizing a second light rail tunnel under downtown would cost far more than projected. Then the agency calculated detailed cost estimates and found the price tag had nearly doubled.
The project now faces a $7 billion to $9 billion shortfall, as The Urbanist reported.
On May 28, the Sound Transit Board voted to fully fund construction from Chinatown-International District to Seattle Center but designated the remaining segment to Ballard as not affordable within existing resources. In July, Sound Transit announced the extension to Smith Cove, Interbay and Market Street could be delayed to 2060 unless the agency finds significant savings or new revenue.
The best-case scenario is a 2042 opening for the full line. To hit that date, Sound Transit says it must identify roughly $1 billion in savings or new revenue by 2030. The agency must also complete final design by 2032 and lock in construction funding by 2033, according to a Seattle City Council blog post on the July announcement.
Sound Transit's updated plan dedicates $18.1 billion to the corridor and sets aside $300 million to complete design all the way to Market Street.
What Strauss has said
Strauss sponsored the Sound Transit Board amendment that required the agency to disclose the timeline publicly. When the 2042-to-2060 range was announced on July 31, he said in a statement that the announcement "shows us the way to get Ballard Link back on track."
In September, Sound Transit opened a request for information seeking cost-saving strategies from industry. The RFI closed Oct. 5. Strauss said in a Sept. 11 statement that the agency needs "to leave no stone left unturned to find cost savings, efficacies, and international best practices that will get light rail to Ballard faster and cheaper."
What to know before you go
The Oct. 19 forum is free. Sound Transit will provide interpretation in Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Spanish and American Sign Language. Refreshments and children's activities will be available. Seattle Transit Blog advises arriving early to get a seat.
The grassroots coalition Save Ballard Rail is urging supporters to pack the hall. In April, the group organized a march from Gemenskap Park to Smith Cove that drew about 300 people, roughly triple what organizers expected, The Urbanist reported.
Save Ballard Rail is also hosting a meetup on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at Old Stove Brewing Gardens. The Sound Transit Board meets Oct. 22 at 1:25 p.m. at Union Station in the Chinatown-International District, where public comment will be accepted.
