Latest environmental documents
Sounder Seattle-to-Tacoma Commuter Rail Easements and Improvements (Easements 3 & 4)
Sound Transit proposes to purchase easements from BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) for the operation of two additional commuter rail trains in the Seattle-to-Tacoma rail corridor on existing BNSF right-of-way (Easements 3 & 4). As part of Sound Transit's proposed easement agreement with BNSF, track improvements are proposed within a section of the rail right-of-way through the cities of Tukwila, Renton, Kent, and Auburn, Washington. Track improvements would be constructed by BNSF and would include (1) adding new track; (2) track rehabilitation; (3) new high speed turnouts; (4) updates to existing signals, and construction of new signal facilities including new signals or signal bungalows; and (5) widening two crossings by constructing two new bridges adjacent to existing bridges, one over Longacres Way in Tukwila and one over Mill Creek in Kent.
Sound Transit has determined that the proposal does not have a probable significant adverse environmental impact on the environment. An environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required under RCW 43.21C.030(2)(c). This decision was made after a review of the completed SEPA environmental checklist and other information on file with the agency.
Easements 3&4 DNS (pdf, 117 kb)
SEPA Checklist - BNSF Easements 3&4 (pdf, 6.8 mb)
North Corridor Transit Project
Sound Transit and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are conducting scoping activities for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) they will prepare for the North Corridor Transit Project in King and Snohomish counties in the metropolitan Puget Sound region. Sound Transit is the lead agency under SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) and FTA is the lead agency under NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act). The EIS will be a combined NEPA/SEPA document.
The North Corridor Transit Project is part of the Sound Transit 2 (ST2) plan approved by voters in 2008. The proposed project would begin at the Northgate Transit Center in Seattle and end at the Lynnwood Transit Center in Lynnwood. Sound Transit and FTA request comments on the purpose and need for the project, social, economic, or environmental issues for evaluation in the EIS, and alternatives for study in the draft EIS, including routes and station locations. The Environmental Scoping Information Report provides additional information, a map of the project area, results of the Alternatives Analysis, proposed route and station location alternatives for potential evaluation in the EIS, elements of the environment to be evaluated in the EIS, a schedule for the EIS process, and the preliminary project Purpose and Need Statement.
Comments must be received by October 31, 2011.
Public meetings, and comment forms >
East Link Project
East Link Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Available
Sound Transit has concluded preliminary engineering and an environmental analysis of the East Link alternatives. The East Link Final EIS is an in-depth analysis of light rail routes, stations, and maintenance facility alternatives considered for the project. The majority of Final EIS documents can be found on this website, except in the instance that a file was too large to host. For the list of available documents, and how to view the documents in hard copy and alternate formats, please visit our Final EIS page.
South 200th Street light rail extension
Sound Transit has published a SEPA addendum evaluating recent design updates for this project.
SEPA Addendum South Link - July, 2011 (.pdf, 12 MB )
I-90 Two Way Transit Project
FTA has issued its Record of Decision (ROD) for the I-90 Two Way Transit Project and published a notice in the Federal Register. A ROD is a federal decision document that presents the basis for the agency's decision and summarizes mitigation measures. Although the Federal Highway Administration issued a ROD for the project in 2004, the FTA ROD enables the FTA to provide grant funding for Phase 3 of the project.
I-90 Two Way Transit Project ROD
North Corridor Transit project
Sound Transit and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are conducting "Early Scoping" to start the public planning and environmental processes for the The North Corridor Transit Project in King and Snohomish counties in the metropolitan Puget Sound region. The North Corridor Transit Project is part of the Sound Transit 2 (ST2) Plan approved by voters in 2008. The proposed project would start at the regional light rail system in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle, and would extend northward to the cities of Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, and Lynnwood. The North Corridor Transit Project extension project is an element of the region's Metropolitan Transportation Plan (the Puget Sound Regional Council's Transportation 2040), and Sound Transit's Long Range Transit Plan. These plans anticipate the eventual extension of expanded transit service north to Everett.
Early Scoping Information Report for North Corridor Project