SEATTLE — If voters approve Sound Transit 3, the agency plan calls for light rail to reach Ballard in 2038.
"Geesh. We need that yesterday," Chris Blakely of Wallingford said as he waited for a bus on Northwest Market Street.
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The estimate for the Redmond Technology Center is a decade earlier: 2028.
"Wow. That's a while," said Dana Laughlin of Redmond, who hoped it would come earlier. "It takes forever to get across the bridge sometimes."
In Issaquah, light rail would arrive in 2041, a quarter century from now, with the opening of a new line from Bellevue.
"That's a long time. That's a long, long time. People are going to be retired by the time that stuff goes in," said Josh Ginder of Issaquah, who says the light rail expansion is needed.
The proposal calls for light rail reaching West Seattle and the Tacoma Dome in 2033, and Paine Field in 2036.
Even more than the $50 billion price tag, which county officials estimate at $17 more per month for a typical adult, the timeline for Sound Transit 3 sobers even supporters.
KIRO 7's Graham Johnson asked King County Executive and Sound Transit Board Chair Dow Constantine, "Can this be done any quicker?"
Constantine answered: "I think so. The timelines in the draft are very conservative because we want to make sure each project is affordable."
Constantine said the agency will look closely at financing and will work with cities on streamlining permits.
He said he didn't know how much the timeline might change, but he expected revisions before the ballot measure is finalized in June.
Constantine said if the measure passes, Sound Transit would continue working to deliver the projects as quickly as possible.
Cox Media Group
