Board identifies alternatives for further study in EIS
On July 25, the Sound Transit Board of Directors identified a preferred alternative and other alternatives to study in an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Tacoma Dome Link Extension.
The Board action reflects nearly 18 months of public engagement activities and feedback, including a recommendation from the project’s Elected Leadership Group and feedback from the Stakeholder Group and public. Notably, there was significant engagement with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians as well as local jurisdictions and agencies. The Federal Transit Administration also weighed in, considering all feedback and potential environmental effects as the lead agency for the EIS process.
Thank you to everyone who has engaged in the process so far.
Shout out to the TDLE Elected Leaders
At their meeting on June 14, the TDLE Elected Leadership Group (ELG), consisting of elected officials and tribal representatives that represent the project corridor and the Sound Transit Board of Directors, made a recommendation to the Sound Transit Board for a preferred alternative and other alternatives to study in the upcoming Draft EIS. Their recommendation was influenced by feedback from the Stakeholder Group and scoping input from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, agencies, cities in the corridor and the general public. You can view a summary of the ELG’s recommendation on the project website.
Thank you for your feedback!
Thanks to everyone who provided feedback for the Tacoma Dome Link Extension (TDLE) project during the scoping period! Over 4,000 of you participated in April and May, allowing us to gather over 540 scoping comments. The feedback from this official comment period was compiled into a scoping summary report, now available online.
Read the summary report
What happens next?
The project team will now begin environmental review for the EIS. A Draft EIS will be published in 2021, and a final EIS will be published in 2022. The EIS analyzes and documents the TDLE alternatives’ potential impacts to the natural and built environment and proposes ways to mitigate unavoidable impacts. Final design, construction, and testing of the facility will take place from 2022 to 2030, with operations beginning in 2030.
In the coming months, you can expect additional maps and information to be posted on the project website. We'll also keep you in the loop about future events and activities.
What is TDLE?
This project will extend the regional light rail system nearly 10 miles via mostly elevated tracks between Federal Way and Tacoma. It includes four new light rail stations in areas near south Federal Way, Fife, east Tacoma, and the Tacoma Dome.
Stations will provide connections to other transit services in the region such as Sounder, Tacoma Link, Sound Transit Express, King County Metro, Pierce Transit, Intercity Transit and Amtrak.
Stations will feature pickup and drop-off zones and provide access for those travelling by foot, bike, paratransit and other modes.
The future South Federal Way and Fife stations each include approximately 500 parking spaces.
A parallel project is the Operations and Maintenance Facility South, which is locating a site for effective light rail operations in the South Sound.
Learn more
What are the benefits of regional light rail?
When Tacoma Dome Link service starts in 2030, it will offer fast and frequent travel to destinations across the region including:
- South Federal Way to Tacoma Dome Station in 20 minutes.
- Fife to Tacoma Dome Station in six minutes.
- Tacoma Dome Station to Sea-Tac Airport in 35 minutes.