Sound Transit and the Federal Transit Administration will issue a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Ballard Link Extension light rail project on December 11, 2026. Public feedback on the draft EIS will be accepted through February 9, 2027.
Details of the Ballard Link Extension Route and Stops
The Ballard Link Extension will branch from the existing 1 Line and cover 12.4 kilometers from Seattle’s SODO neighborhood to the Ballard area. The project includes a 5.3-kilometer tunnel section and up to nine stops along the route. Starting from SODO, it will provide a second transit corridor through Downtown Seattle, interchanging with the 1 and 2 lines at Westlake
station before proceeding northwest toward Smith Cove and Ballard.
This extension will improve light rail access to densely populated residential and employment neighborhoods, including Chinatown-International District, Downtown, South Lake Union, Uptown, Interbay, and Ballard.
Funding Status and Project Phases
Construction funding for the segment from SODO to Seattle Center is fully secured under Sound Transit’s 3 system expansion plan, which voters approved in November 2016. The draft environmental impact statement also addresses the following phase from Seattle Center to Market Street in Ballard, although funding for this section’s construction has not yet been finalized.
Project Planning and Decision Process
Sound Transit has stated its commitment to reducing project costs, expanding
financial capacity, and securing additional funds necessary to open the entire extension simultaneously. The Sound Transit Board will review the draft EIS analysis along with public, agency, and Tribal comments before deciding on or adjusting the preferred project option in 2027.
Following this review, Sound Transit will prepare a final environmental impact statement to facilitate a build decision.
This extension is part of the broader Sound Transit 3 plan to expand Seattle’s rail network and urban transit infrastructure, linking key neighborhoods with enhanced light rail services.
