Episode Details

Sound Transit’s new timeline aims to bring light rail to Ballard by 2042, but it’s a tightrope walk over a $35 billion budget shortfall. The ST3 plan allocates $18.1 billion for the Ballard corridor, with construction from Chinatown-International District to Seattle Center set to open on schedule. To keep Ballard in the picture, $300 million is earmarked for design work north to Market Street. But to make it happen, three financial milestones must be hit: $1 billion in savings or new funding by 2030 to buy land north of Seattle Center, final design completion by 2032, and full construction funding secured by 2033. Without major cost-cutting or new money, the Ballard extension could slip to 2060. This comes after tough cuts in May to preserve other projects, like West Seattle’s 2032 light rail launch — a balancing act that’s keeping transit dreams alive, but on a razor’s edge.

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