Save Ballard Rail is calling for Sound Transit to move faster on the Ballard Link Extension, arguing that the agency’s newly outlined path to reaching Market Street by 2042 should be a starting point rather than the final goal.
The advocacy group released a statement following Sound Transit’s July 31 update on the Ballard Link Extension, which laid out two dramatically different potential timelines for bringing light rail into Ballard.
Under Sound Transit’s current financial outlook, if additional savings or funding aren’t secured and the agency has to wait for existing revenues to accumulate, light rail to Smith Cove, Interbay and Market Street could be delayed until around 2060. Sound Transit says it could instead open the entire extension to Market Street by 2042 if it reduces costs, expands its financial capacity and secures the remaining construction funding.
The Sound Transit Board adopted an updated ST3 System Plan in May as it worked to address a projected $35 billion funding gap over the next 25 years. The plan dedicates $18.1 billion to the Ballard corridor, fully funds construction from Chinatown-International District to Seattle Center and provides $300 million to continue design work through Market Street.
Sound Transit says reaching Ballard by 2042 will depend on several major milestones. By 2030, the agency would need to identify about $1 billion in additional savings or financial capacity to begin acquiring property between Seattle Center and Market Street. Final design is expected to be completed in 2032, and all necessary funding would need to be secured by 2033 to keep a 2042 opening possible.
The agency has identified several potential ways to increase its financial capacity, including longer bond terms, increased debt capacity, revenue tied to station-area development, third-party funding and permitting reform. Sound Transit also says it plans to continue looking for construction and design savings after identifying about $3 billion in savings for the Ballard project so far.
Save Ballard Rail said the 2042 scenario is a “good start,” but wants the agency to continue working toward opening the extension in the mid-2030s.
“Sound Transit heard us and told the public that under the status quo, we won’t get rail to Ballard until 2060,” the group said. “That date is unacceptable and is what we hoped to avoid by opposing Sound Transit’s decision in May to delay rail to Ballard.”
The group is asking Sound Transit to provide more details about how its proposed strategies would lead to a 2042 opening and how they would be implemented. It also wants the agency to incorporate transit construction best practices and issue a Request for Information seeking potentially faster and less expensive approaches to building the extension to Market Street, with a target of 2035.
Save Ballard Rail is also calling for a public forum in Ballard about the new timelines and wants Sound Transit to bring a concrete funding plan to the Washington Legislature. The group specifically pointed to options including 75-year bonds and a higher debt ceiling as potential tools for accelerating the project.
“By giving us the 2060 date, Sound Transit is finally acknowledging how dire the situation is rather than continuing to pretend everything is fine,” the group said, adding that the 2033 funding deadline means “there is no time to lose.”
Save Ballard Rail is also organizing monthly community meetups for people interested in following the project and getting involved. Its next meetup is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. at Old Stove Gardens in Ballard.
Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss says the updated timeline proves that light rail to Ballard is not dead.
“I asked for Sound Transit to provide this date range to increase transparency for the public and provide us all with a clear vision of the work we must do together to deliver light rail to Ballard. We must use these tools and get this project delivered by 2042,” Strauss said.
Photo: Save Ballard Rail on Instagram