Mayor Harrell Proposes Actions to Tackle Increased Sound Transit Growth Costs, Ship Seattle Transit Growth

Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell joined with native companions to name for Sound Transit motion to assist higher handle prices and ship Seattle gentle rail enlargement. The mayor emphasised the significance of prioritizing enlargement the place it would ship the best ridership and serve the densest communities, just like the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions, and reaffirmed town’s dedication to serving to ship these transformative initiatives to communities.  

“Major infrastructure projects like light rail expansion are facing significant cost pressures nationwide, but we cannot allow these challenges to derail our commitment to Seattle voters who overwhelmingly supported this investment,” stated Mayor Harrell. “The West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions will be transformative transit expansions for Seattle and the region – generating significant ridership and making it easier than ever to get around. This moment calls for creative thinking and collaborative problem-solving across all jurisdictions to deliver on the projects supported by the voters. Today, my office is proposing actions and strategies to Sound Transit and regional partners to identify cost solutions and advance the vision for an expanded light rail network that we all want to see become reality. And tomorrow, the City will advance budget legislation to expand our staff team to ensure that we are ready to help Sound Transit deliver these investments.” 

Earlier this yr, Seattle did necessary work with Sound Transit to chop down on delays and prices by way of allowing reform earlier this yr. Now, Mayor Harrell requires clear actions with associate businesses, Sound Transit, and the Sound Transit Board within the coming months to cut back prices and improve certainty of venture supply schedules, together with:  

• The City’s and Sound Transit’s workers groups ought to work intently collectively on continued alternatives to streamline processes, and to review worth engineering alternatives that may result in actual value financial savings for the supply of those traces and different ST3 initiatives.

• At Thursday’s Executive Committee assembly, the mayor will ask associate jurisdictions and Sound Transit to construct on this effort by requesting that Sound Transit present third-party evaluation and validation of assumptions associated to value, income, and venture danger that features sharing of knowledge and responding to questions from Seattle, Snohomish, King, and Pierce counties.

• The mayor is asking on Sound Transit to pursue revolutionary value saving measures and various funding methods, and making certain we’re open to out-of-the-box concepts to ship Seattle initiatives as deliberate and promised to voters.

• The mayor is advancing laws to entrance important funds sources, setting up workers prepared to maneuver these initiatives ahead in partnership with Sound Transit.

• The Sound Transit Board ought to advance the “regional spine” and West Seattle and Ballard gentle rail extension initiatives concurrently, not delay one capital venture over one other.

Mayor Harrell’s and City’s requests are in response to a monetary replace offered on the August 28 Sound Transit Board Meeting. At the assembly, Sound Transit shared that the estimated prices to ship all the ST3 program have elevated 20-25% over the present long-range monetary plan. For capital initiatives – comparable to constructing new gentle rail traces and stations – this implies a rise of as much as $30 billion when venture timelines and anticipated inflation are factored in. 

At that very same assembly, the Board adopted Motion 2025-36, laying out rules for Sound Transit’s Enterprise Initiative that may try to deal with these affordability challenges by way of cost-savings methods and new income instruments. The movement included an modification proposed by Mayor Harrell that emphasised the precept of connecting the area’s present and future inhabitants and job facilities. See Mayor Harrell’s preliminary assertion after the assembly.    

Mayor Harrell additionally introduced funds laws that reaffirms the City’s robust partnership to assist ship these investments to Seattle communities. In collaboration with Councilmember Strauss, Mayor Harrell submitted legislation that will probably be heard at tomorrow’s Finance, Native Communities, & Tribal Relations Committee to advance important funds sources to make sure that Seattle has the workers prepared to maneuver these initiatives ahead in partnership with Sound Transit. This funds motion demonstrates Seattle’s full dedication to help the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions. 

Earlier this yr, Mayor Harrell signed an government order to expedite gentle rail supply, centralized the venture workers staff underneath the management of an expanded Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects, and Sound Transit, and rewrote land use code to speed up the allowing for gentle rail initiatives. The land use modifications simplify and streamline growth requirements and allow processes for the whole thing of the Ballard and West Seattle gentle rail initiatives with a purpose of reducing the allowing time in half, from the earlier common of 240 days right down to 120. The revised code develops complete tree and vegetation administration plans, improves accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists, creates a extra environment friendly appeals course of, and can sequence development to maintain individuals and items shifting. 

In the present gentle rail system, Sound Transit sees as much as 3.4 million boardings per month. Once constructed, the ST3 system anticipates a whole lot of 1000’s of extra boardings per day, with over 200,000 day by day boardings at stations alongside the West Seattle and Ballard extensions. Together, the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions will add 11.8 miles of sunshine rail service and 13 new stations as a part of the regional transit system enlargement authorized by voters in November 2016. 

The West Seattle Link Extension will join dense residential and job facilities within the SODO, Delridge, and West Seattle neighborhoods. The Sound Transit Board chosen route and station places in October 2024, following evaluation of environmental paperwork and years of public suggestions. The City lately adopted the West Seattle Link Extension Record of Decision into the City’s Transitway Agreement, a crucial step permitting the City to difficulty permits to Sound Transit for development as soon as remaining designs are full. Service is at the moment scheduled to start in 2032.  

The Ballard Link Extension will join Chinatown-International District and downtown Seattle with stations in South Lake Union, Seattle Center, and persevering with on to the Interbay and Ballard neighborhoods. The venture proposes a brand new gentle rail tunnel in downtown Seattle to function the regional system effectively. The venture is at the moment within the planning section, and repair is scheduled to start in 2039.  

What People Are Saying 

King County Executive Shannon Braddock 

“We must remain focused on forward momentum—delivering both service and infrastructure supported by voters. Sustaining public confidence depends on our ability to keep delivering projects. We must not be paralyzed because of mega project challenges. I look forward to working with Mayor Harrell and the Sound Transit board to deliver on our commitment to voters.” 

King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda 

“Every single project in ST3 matters—from Everett to Tacoma, from Redmond to West Seattle and Ballard—every line is essential. For Seattle, Sound Transit expansion is not just transit infrastructure—it’s affordable housing infrastructure, small business infrastructure, and the backbone of our growing neighborhoods. Seattle communities are ready and waiting for connections to West Seattle and Ballard. We can build the system voters were promised without sacrificing delivery of this critical investment to our densest and most ready-to-ride communities.”   

King County Councilmember Claudia Baluducci 

“If we want Sound Transit’s regional vision to succeed, we need strong partnerships with the cities we serve,” stated Sound Transit Board Vice Chair Claudia Balducci. “Seattle is not only the biggest city in our network—it also has the highest ridership. That makes its leadership and hands-on engagement critical to tackling challenges, managing costs, and accelerating project delivery. I’m committed to working with Mayor Harrell and the City to bring light rail to Ballard and West Seattle—as voters were promised.” 

Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss 

“We need to build light rail to Ballard and West Seattle faster. Tomorrow, in my committee, we will be hearing new legislation to hire staff to speed up its construction in Seattle. Since ST3 was passed by voters nearly a decade ago, Ballard has become one of the fastest growing and densest neighborhoods in our region. Connecting it to our light rail system has gone from a worth while investments, to an absolute necessity. Failure is not an option, and the City of Seattle is working to cut red tape and ensure Sound Transit delivers this critical infrastructure as fast as possible.” 

Kirk Hovenkotter, Executive Director, Transportation Choices Coalition 

“Voters overwhelmingly said yes to Sound Transit 3 in 2016. The promise is clear: build the damn trains. Cost challenges are real but we need to keep projects moving. The longer we wait, the more it costs. We’ve seen Sound Transit and this region overcome challenges to deliver light rail in the past. Transportation Choices Coalition will push to ensure we do it again. No other promise has brought together the three counties around a shared initiative like Sound Transit has. We are in this together as one region. We need to move forward together.” 

Monty Anderson, Executive Secretary, Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council. 

“Major infrastructure projects like Sound Transit Link extensions are critical for connecting our communities and supporting our economy. These projects provide thousands of good, family-wage jobs for workers and economic opportunity through apprenticeship and training. We must do whatever it takes to keep Sound Transit’s light rail projects moving forward.”

Katie Garrow, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, MLK Labor 

“Despite cost increases for Sound Transit 3, now is still the cheapest time to finish the projects. Swedish Ballard is run by people who largely don’t live in Ballard, and the Met Market in West Seattle is run by people who commute in from Yelm and Kent. That is why we need light rail. Our region’s greatest nuisance is traffic. Don’t sacrifice Ballard or West Seattle. Build it all.”