Add-ons to Ballard, West Seattle light rail could cost up to $2 billion
Mar 4, 2019, 2:09 PM | Updated: Mar 5, 2019, 10:27 am
(AP)
(AP)
The first step in a big decision is coming this spring that could affect Puget Sound-area commuters for generations, and costs are already rising.
RELATED: Sound Transit narrowing down light rail options in Seattle
More than two years after voters approved tax increases for a $54 billion transit expansion in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, Sound Transit is deciding exactly where to build light rail lines to Ballard and West Seattle.
Largely because of higher construction costs, Sound Transit says the baseline price to reach both neighborhoods has already risen about 10 percent, from $6.8 billion to $7.5 billion.
The final price could potentially rise even more, because rough, early estimates from the agency show that some add-on features beyond the basic alignment in the ballot package could increase the total between $500 million and $2 billion.
The extra cost would come largely from adding tunnels, which some people in the community support. A tunnel beneath the Ship Canal to Ballard, instead of a drawbridge that would disrupt train traffic, has fairly wide support but no extra funding.
You can catch the full report tonight on KIRO 7 News at 5 p.m. Watch on TV or at this link.
Written by Graham Johnson
