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10/4/2021
Sound Transit last week began transporting riders on the Northgate Link light-rail extension.
The 4.3-mile line adds three new stations to the system, at Northgate, Roosevelt and U District, with trips of 13 minutes from Northgate to downtown Seattle.
The opening marks the start of an unprecedented period of transit expansion in the region. In three years, the Link light-rail network will nearly triple in reach, from 22 miles to 62 miles, with service to Tacoma’s Hilltop in 2022, East King County in 2023 and Lynnwood, Federal Way and downtown Redmond in 2024.
The project’s $1.9 billion baseline budget includes a $615 million credit agreement under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, which provided significant long-term savings for regional taxpayers through reduced borrowing costs. The project is coming in approximately $50 million under budget, Sound Transit officials said in a press release.
Voters approved the Northgate Link extension in 2008 as part of the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure. Construction on the project began in 2012 following six years of planning.