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Next stop: Lynnwood!

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2015 milestone achieved: final route and stations selected

The Sound Transit Board of Directors selected the final light rail route and station locations for extending light rail north from Seattle to Lynnwood, keeping the project on track to begin construction in 2018 and open in late 2023.

Trains will run along the I-5 corridor from Northgate to the Lynnwood Transit Center with four new stations. The Board also directed staff to plan for potential future stations at Northeast 130th Street in Seattle and 220th Street Southwest in Mountlake Terrace. The light rail tracks in those areas will be built to accommodate future construction of either of those stations in a way that would not substantially impact service.

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What's next?

Record of Decision
This summer, the Federal Transit Administration is expected to issue a Record of Decision for the project. This action completes the environmental process and authorizes final design, then construction of the project. The Record of Decision defines mitigation commitments and other requirements for the project following the recent completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Field work
Over the next few months, Sound Transit will be collecting information from the field to inform the final design. You may see teams with orange vests and hard hats in the vicinity of the Interstate 5 corridor between Northgate and Lynnwood.

Final design
In early 2016, Sound Transit will begin the final design phase of the Lynnwood Link Extension to further refine the project's trackway, stations and art installations. Milestones and check-in points are named by their association with a general level of "completeness" of design: 30%, 60% and 100% (ready for construction). Around these milestones, Sound Transit will engage with project partners and seek public input on a variety of project aspects, including station appearance and construction details.

During final design, Sound Transit will prepare the project for construction by:

  • Developing station designs
  • Conducting additional field work
  • Acquiring permits
  • Incorporating art into project plans
  • Procuring right-of-way
  • Refining construction mitigation measures
  • Defining the construction sequence/schedule and methodsContinuing the partnerships with local jurisdictions (example: station-area planning)

Property owners
Once enough of the final design phase has been completed to confirm impacted properties (expected in late 2016/early 2017), Sound Transit will notify property owners. Prior to the recent publication of the Final EIS, letters were sent to potentially impacted property owners. Contact Eric Lee in the Real Property department at eric.lee@soundtransit.org or 206-903-7306 with questions about the property acquisition process.

You helped us get here – thank you!

Your input and support helped Sound Transit reach this important decision milestone. We extend a special thanks to everyone who participated in the process to date. The final route and stations have been shaped by questions, comments and feedback heard from agencies, stakeholders and the public. We look forward to continuing the conversation as we begin final design early next year.

5 years of community input, by the numbers:

  • Conversations with over 3,400 people at local fairs and festivals
  • More than 20 public meetings, open houses and drop-in sessions hosted by the project with over 1,400 attendees
  • 634 public and agency comments responded to in the Final Environmental Impact Statement
  • 500 flyers and phone calls made about project field work
  • 2 "Tech Talk" webcast conversations

2015-2018: Final design and permitting

Late 2015 - Field work conducted to inform the final design
Early 2016 - Project enters into Final Design phase
Mid 2016 - Station design public meetings begin
Late 2016/Early 2017 - Impacted properties confirmed, property owners notified
2017 - 60% design; Board is scheduled to adopt lifetime budget for the project (baseline budget); right-of-way acquisition begins

Help shape future transit

Lynnwood Link Extension is on its way - what's next? Sound Transit has begun the process to shape a ballot measure that voters could consider as early as November 2016. This Sound Transit 3 measure will build upon the existing mass transit system of light rail, commuter rail and bus services.

Learn more and get involved in the process: soundtransit3.org