(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell on Thursday issued an executive order to hasten the expansion of Sound Transit’s light rail services to the Ballard and West Seattle neighborhoods.
Sound Transit is a public transit agency that provides light rail services in Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond and Lynnwood. Light rail expansions to Ballard and West Seattle are part of the voter-approved $54 billion Sound Transit 3 project, an expansion of the regional public transit system.
According to the city, ST3 is the largest transit expansion currently happening in the nation.
During his State of the City address earlier this week, Harrell said expanding light rail services in Seattle was one of his top priorities.
The executive order expands the work of the Seattle Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects to include Sound Transit. This office has been leading the charge in changing the city’s waterfront to become more pedestrian friendly, with the majority of projects having been completed.
“Director [Angela] Brady and the new Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects & Sound Transit have the proven ability, expertise, and creativity to help deliver this major transit expansion as quickly and safely as possible,” Harrell said in a statement.
The city’s work on Sound Transit initiatives have been managed by the Seattle Department of Transportation up until this new executive order. The Office of Civic and Waterfront Projects & Sound Transit will work with the transportation department on projects that provide safer access to light rail stations.
The executive order also includes a slew of proposed legislation intended to ease the permitting process for ST3.
The city will also allocate $5.2 million in 2025 and $6.8 million in 2026 to fund up to 50 additional staff across the city’s departments. These staff members will work to support design, permitting, construction, and station area planning, according to the city.
“Continuing collaboration between Sound Transit and the city will ensure we find efficiencies and ways to save costs, and ultimately result in stations that are accessible, equitable and integral to their local and regional communities,” Sound Transit Interim CEO Goran Sparrman said.
The light rail extension into Ballard is expected to be completed in 2039. The West Seattle expansion is anticipated to finish by 2032.
