West Seattle residents will likely wait nearly another decade for light rail service.
West Seattle residents will have to wait nearly another decade for light rail service after Sound Transit pushed back the expected opening of the West Seattle Link Extension to 2035.
The delay is the latest in a series of timeline changes tied to a major budget gap at the agency.
During the 2016 ballot campaign, Sound Transit promised a 2030 opening. A few months ago, the agency delayed the West Seattle expansion to 2032. Now, the projected opening is 2035.
"It’s honestly disturbing because it’s like when we vote for something, our taxes go up and we want to know, ‘Well, what’s the delay?’" West Seattle resident Chris Kelly told KOMO News at the Alaska Junction on Friday.
"I’m going to be dead and gone by the time it gets here," added Kathy Lund from West Seattle. "That’s part of Seattle’s problem: They have too many things they don’t get done and they should."
Earlier this year, Sound Transit identified a $35 billion budget shortfall. In response, the agency conducted surveys and held several meetings about how it would still complete promised projects while dealing with the budget crisis.
Since the spring, that has included uncertainty about the planned 3.9 miles of track connecting West Seattle to SODO.
The extension is planned to run from Alaska Junction in West Seattle through SODO, with an elevated route shown in project renderings.
Sound Transit said the refined timeline is a cost-saving measure and is intended to provide a realistic delivery schedule. The agency said it remains committed to delivering the West Seattle Link Extension while staying “disciplined about finding cost and schedule savings.”
At an Thursday committee meeting, Sound Transit Acting Chief Capital Delivery Officer Brad Owen explained the final design and right-of-way phases were on hold until there was an affordable system-wide plan, which was adopted in May, to also bring service north to Everett and south to Pierce County.
"We also developed more detailed construction schedules that showed additional time would be needed for major project elements, including the Duwamish River crossing," Owen stated. ""While no one welcomes a later opening date, this is a realistic schedule that reflects deliberate decisions to build a better project."
On the same day the delay was announced, Sound Transit also said it reached an agreement with Seattle City Light on technical design work. The agency said the work will relocate some transmission lines without construction on Sixth Avenue South, which had been part of the original plan.
