Sound Transit’s proposed East Link light rail project expands light rail from downtown Seattle to the Eastside with nine planned stations serving Mercer Island, south Bellevue, downtown Bellevue, Bel-Red/Overlake and Redmond. East Link will connect to the Link light rail system between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2009. East Link will connect the Eastside’s biggest population and employment centers and provide people with an alternative to driving on congested roads.
East Link is one element of the Sound Transit Long-Range Plan, updated in 2005, using public input to fine tune the overall roadmap to mass transit's future in the region. The Long Range Plan was a foundation for the 2007 Sound Transit 2 Plan and will continue to provide a base for future regional transit system expansion proposals.
Funding to build East Link was proposed as part of Proposition 1, the Roads & Transit ballot measure that was voted down in November 2007. In the first half of 2008, the Sound Transit Board is reviewing content and timing options for a future transit-only ballot measure. A future ballot measure is likely to include full or partial funding to build East Link.
East Link Environmental Review Process
In December 2006, the Sound Transit Board identified the light rail routes, stations and maintenance facility alternatives that will be studied in detail in the environmental impact statement (EIS). In spring 2007, Sound Transit hosted five community-focused workshops to engage community members in refining the alternatives for evaluation in the draft EIS. A summary of the workshop is available -- East Link Route and Station Workshop Summary (pdf, 8.9mb attention! large download).
The East Link project team is currently conducting conceptual engineering (an approximate 5 to 10 percent design level) to provide the detail necessary to inform the environmental analysis. Modifications and updates to some alternatives are ongoing based on early engineering, community feedback and environmental review. Through the EIS process, Sound Transit will study each of the alternatives to learn their benefits and impacts on the local community.
Preparation of the draft EIS is lengthy because each alternative undergoes the same detailed analysis. After the draft EIS is completed, it will be published and made available to the public during a formal comment period, which will include multiple public meetings. Environmental review is a process designed to inform the public and elected officials with an objective comparison of benefits and impacts prior to major project decisions.
Sound Transit is committed to ensuring that communities are kept informed as the planning process unfolds. Current and background documents on the East Link project can be downloaded from the East Link Document Library >>>
Contact Us!
Sound Transit staff is always happy to talk or meet with community members either one-on-one, in small groups or at neighborhood meetings to ensure communities have the most current and accurate project information. For questions or additional information regarding the East Link project, please contact Ann Mueller at 206-370-5511 or ann.mueller@soundtransit.org
Stay informed! You can receive updates on this project using our free e-mail subscription service. Enter your email address and select "East Link Project Updates" from the list to subscribe.
