$34.5 billion short: Sound Transit wants your input on future light rail projects

Sound Transit has launched a public survey to seek community input on how to address a projected $34.5 billion funding shortfall over the next 20 years.

The agency said the gap stems from “historic inflation, tariffs, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions.”

Those factors have threatened Sound Transit’s plans to deliver projects included in Sound Transit 3, a ballot measure approved by voters in 2016.

The ST3 program includes light‑rail extensions to West Seattle, Ballard, Tacoma, and Everett, as well as projects serving Kirkland and Issaquah.

Sound Transit officials said the survey is part of a broader effort known as the Enterprise Initiative, an agencywide review of costs, schedules, and delivery strategies meant to preserve as much of the expansion plan as possible.

The survey is open to residents who live within the Sound Transit district.

As the agency weighs potential trade‑offs, leaders in the South Sound are raising concerns that cost‑cutting proposals could further delay or scale back long‑promised investments.

Tacoma leaders push Sound Transit to prioritize South Sound projects

Last week, the Tacoma City Council sent a letter to the Sound Transit Board urging the agency to prioritize projects in Tacoma and Pierce County, warning against delays that would “disproportionately impact the South Sound.”

The council noted that the Tacoma Dome Link Extension has already been delayed from 2030 to 2035.

The letter described the Tacoma Dome station as a critical regional transit hub and said the city has already rezoned land and seen private investment based on the expectation that light rail would arrive as planned.

Sound Transit officials emphasized that no final decisions have been made and said public feedback gathered through the survey will help guide future recommendations.

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