Lynnwood light rail secures more federal dollars
Published 1:30 am Friday, September 7, 2018
LYNNWOOD — Sound Transit reports progress toward securing more than $1 billion in grant money for building a new light-rail line to Snohomish County, but is still awaiting a final commitment from the federal government.
The money is needed for construction of Lynnwood Link. Work is scheduled to start next year.
Officials announced Friday that the Federal Transit Administration had allocated $100 million for the Lynnwood extension. That comes on top of another $100 million that Congress set aside in 2017.
County Executive Dave Somers, who also serves as Sound Transit’s board chairman, called the news “a very positive step.”
Washington’s congressional delegation has been pressuring federal officials to follow through on the funding, after President Donald Trump’s administration threatened to cut it. The state’s two U.S. senators and most of its representatives in June sent a letter urging U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to support the project.
Lynnwood Link would span 8.5 miles from Northgate, with other stops in Mountlake Terrace and Shoreline. If all goes as planned, service would start in mid-2024. It’s projected to serve more than 68,000 riders every day.
Demolition along the future route started this summer.
