Project map and summary

Map of Ballard Link Extension
Map of Ballard Link Extension

Ballard Link Extension project updates

Get ready to share your input on the Ballard Link Extension  

On Dec. 11, 2026, Sound Transit and the Federal Transit Administration will publish a new Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Ballard Link Extension. This document will evaluate project alternatives, potential benefits and impacts of each alternative, and proposed actions to mitigate potential impacts.    

You will have an opportunity to review and comment on the Draft EIS during a 60-day public comment period, open from Dec. 11, 2026 to Feb. 9, 2027. Your feedback will help the project team and the Sound Transit Board understand community priorities for the different routes and station locations.  

Sign up for email updates to learn how to review the Draft EIS and submit comments. 

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Overview  

The Ballard Link Extension will provide fast, reliable light rail connections to dense residential and job centers in the Chinatown-International District (CID), Downtown, South Lake Union, Uptown, Interbay, and Ballard neighborhoods. In addition, a new downtown Seattle light rail tunnel will provide capacity for the entire regional system to operate efficiently. The BLE is part of the Sound Transit 3 system expansion approved by voters in November 2016. The project is currently in the planning phase.    

Ballard Link Extension   

  • Adds 7.7 miles of light rail service from SODO to the Ballard neighborhood. This extension includes a new downtown Seattle light rail tunnel.  

  • Includes up to nine new stations from Chinatown-International District to Ballard.  

  • Will greatly improve local and regional transit service frequency, reliability, and capacity.  

  • Facilitates transit-oriented development around and above stations.  

  • Start of service is scheduled for 2042. *  

*Service from SODO to Seattle Center is scheduled to open in 2042. Construction from Seattle Center to Ballard is currently unaffordable. This section of the project could proceed if Sound Transit can further reduce project costs, increase its financial capacity, and secure the remaining construction funding. 

Visit our detailed online open house to learn more.

Learn more

 

Current project status 

Getting ready for the Draft EIS  

The Draft EIS will analyze the entire project, from SODO to Ballard. Learn more about what a Draft EIS includes and how it fits within the timeline of the project. 

Commenting on the Draft EIS starting Dec. 11 

When the Draft EIS is published on Dec. 11, we will open a public comment period. We’ll share how to get involved through our online open house, social media, our email newsletter, and community networks.  

You will be able to comment in several ways:  

  • Online at the project website 

  • By email, mail, or phone 

  • At a virtual or in-person public hearing  

    • Translated materials and interpretation provided in Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Spanish, and ASL. 

Your feedback during the comment period will help the project team and the Sound Transit Board understand community priorities for route and station locations and inform the Board’s decision on modifying or confirming the preferred alternative for the project. The preferred alternative indicates a preference for alternatives based on currently available information. It is not a final decision on the project to be built. 

 

Additional background 

We published a combined Draft EIS for the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions in 2022, followed by a public comment period. Since then, the projects have moved onto separate timelines after additional studies and community engagement led to new alternatives for the Ballard Link Extension. 

The upcoming BLE Draft EIS will build upon and carry forward analysis of the alternatives included in the 2022 Draft EIS. It will also study refinements to alternatives and new alternatives identified by the Sound Transit Board in March and July 2023, following a period of further study and community engagement. 

Sound Transit will further evaluate the preferred alternative and other alternatives in the Final EIS. It will include responses to substantive BLE Draft EIS comments and substantive comments from the 2022 West Seattle and Ballard Draft EIS that apply to both BLE and WSLE.  Following the Final EIS, the Board will select the project to be built.   

 

Where can I learn more as a project neighbor? 

  • The Sound Transit Board will make a final decision on routes, stations, and the project to be built after we publish the BLE Final EIS. We expect to publish the Final EIS in 2026.