Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss is outlining what comes next after the Sound Transit Board approved a revised financial plan that leaves construction funding for the Ballard light rail extension unresolved.
The vote follows last week’s Sound Transit decision to fully fund light rail from SODO to Seattle Center while leaving future funding for the segment between Seattle Center and Ballard unidentified. Strauss said he voted against the proposal because construction funding for the Ballard portion of the project remains uncertain.
In a message to supporters, Strauss described the outcome as a big hurdle, but said the project is still moving forward in several ways due to advocacy efforts from community members and elected officials.
“There’s no question this is a major setback. But, this is not the end of the line for Ballard Light Rail. The only reason the Ballard Link is not dead is because of your advocacy,” Strauss shared. “Today, we have more support from Sound Transit Board Members for Ballard than we did when this was initially proposed. The work we did together scored some critical improvements to the plan that will help us win this fight.”
According to Strauss, several amendments were adopted as part of the process. One amendment requires Sound Transit to release a date range showing when light rail could reach Ballard under the current plan. Strauss said the timeline is expected to show significant delays but will provide greater transparency and help guide future efforts to accelerate the project.
Strauss also said the full $300 million budgeted for design work on the Ballard Link Extension remains funded, allowing project design to continue while officials work to address the funding gap.
Another amendment, proposed by King County Executive Girmay Zahilay and supported by Strauss, directs Sound Transit to explore additional cost-saving measures and technologies that could reduce the cost of completing the Ballard extension. The amendment also requires the agency to report on efforts to mitigate impacts from project delays.
In addition, Strauss said Sound Transit will be required to present options next year for improving revenue and financing tools that could help close the funding gap for the Ballard extension.
A separate amendment proposed by Strauss would have prioritized funding a Westlake-to-Ballard starter line before construction of a second downtown tunnel. That proposal did not receive majority support from the Sound Transit Board, though Strauss said several board members expressed interest in further studying the concept.
Meanwhile, the advocacy group Save Ballard Rail is planning a community meeting on Sunday, June 7, at 2:30 p.m. at Bale Breaker & Yonder Cider Taproom. Organizers say the gathering will include a discussion of recent Sound Transit actions, a recap of outreach efforts, community feedback, and planning for future advocacy efforts.
Photo: Sound Transit