At a public forum Monday, Sound Transit renewed its promise to connect Ballard with the regional Link light rail system.
But after repeated delays, local advocates say they’re tired of hearing assurances from the transit agency. Instead, they want to know how the city plans find the $10 billion needed to meet the 2042 deadline.
That price tag was shared with the over 300 people who packed inside the National Nordic Museum on Monday. They were joined by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Councilmember Dan Strauss.
Strauss, who also serves on Sound Transit’s board, has voiced adamant support of Ballard rail, even as the transit agency has slowed production.
When voters approved higher transit taxes to fund the expansion, residents were promised Ballard rail by 2035.
Now, the earliest that light rail could reach Ballard is 2042, according to Sound Transit’s most recent timeline. That’s only if the agency closes funding gaps and project milestones remain on track. If the agency can’t meet those goals and has to pull from existing revenue, the full Ballard line may not happen until 2060.
The delay didn’t come as a shock to Ballard residents on Monday.
Weighed down by a $34.5 billion funding shortfall, Sound Transit announced in May that it couldn’t yet afford the Smith Cove, Interbay and Market Street stops. So far, the agency has committed $18.1 billion towards building the corridor from Sodo to downtown and Seattle Center.
The updated plan also provides $300 million to complete design work for the expansion, which will let Sound Transit explore cost savings and pursue additional funding opportunities to finish the project.
In order to meet the 2042 deadline, Sound Transit needs to secure $1 billion to purchase land by 2030, and $7 billion to $9 billion for construction by 2033.
Jonatan Gonzalez leads Save Ballard Rail, the local advocacy group dedicated to keeping the expansion alive. Gonzalez wants to know how Sound Transit will meet its deadlines. Organizers have previously urged Sound Transit to view 2042 as a starting place, but to aim for an earlier finish line.
“We see a roadmap, but a roadmap isn’t a plan,” Gonzalez said. “So when are we going to hear the concrete plan for filling in that gap?”
That information remained absent from Monday’s public forum, Gonzalez explained, even when members of Save Ballard Rail pushed transit leaders for answers.
Gonzalez and his husband purchased a townhouse in Ballard with the expectation of eventually living near a light rail stop. As Sound Transit has repeatedly pushed the expansion’s opening date, Gonzalez says he’s lost faith.
That erosion of community trust could be a problem if Sound Transit looks to raise taxes again to fund the expansion.
“By breaking that promise, I worry that if [Sound Transit] says, actually we need to raise funds, we need to raise taxes, it would be difficult for that to pass,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez hopes the transit agency turns to voters as a last resort.
Save Ballard Rail has asked the transit agency to bring a funding plan to the Washington Legislature, and have pointed to alternative building options like 75-year bonds and a higher debt ceiling as potential tools for accelerating the project.
Even with his disappointment in Sound Transit’s timeline, Gonzalez expressed gratitude for the hundreds who participated in the community forum.
“It’s really nice to know that the community does care, and I think that’s very important to show the board,” Gonzalez said. “Sometimes there’s a feeling that if we hadn’t shown up, they would have thought they could just cut Ballard, and no one would have said anything.
“That is not a politically viable option. It’s very clear that cutting Ballard is going to make a bunch of people very angry. I hope that means that when they say they’re committed to getting to Market, it means that they’re committed to getting to Market.”
Photo: Sound Transit
