On Oct. 24, 2024, Sound Transit began the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) scoping process for the Ballard Link Extension (BLE). We are seeking feedback on the Purpose and Need, alternatives, and potential topics to be studied in the BLE Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The 45-day scoping comment period ends on Dec. 9.
About the Ballard Link Extension
The Ballard Link Extension (BLE) will provide fast, reliable light rail connections to dense residential and job centers in the Chinatown-International District (CID), Downtown, Interbay, and Ballard neighborhoods. In addition, a new downtown Seattle light rail tunnel will provide capacity for the entire regional system to operate efficiently. The BLE is part of the Sound Transit 3 system expansion approved by voters in November 2016. The project is currently in the planning phase.
Ballard Link Extension
- Adds 7.7 miles of light rail service from downtown Seattle to the Ballard neighborhood, including a new downtown Seattle rail-only tunnel.
- Includes nine new stations from Chinatown-International District to Ballard.
- Will greatly improve local and regional transit service frequency, reliability, and capacity.
- Facilitates redevelopment near stations, focusing on equitable transit-oriented development (eTOD).
- Start of service is scheduled for 2039.
Ballard Link Extension project timeline
2016 Voter Approval
- Alternatives development
- ST Board identifies preferred and other WSBLE Draft EIS alternatives
- WSBLE Draft EIS and public comment period
- Further Studies
- ST Board modifies the Preferred Alternative for BLE
- NEPA scoping (we are here)
- BLE Draft EIS publication and public comment period (2025)
- ST Board confirms or modifies the BLE Preferred Alternative (mid-2025)
- BLE Final EIS (2026)
- ST Board selects BLE project to be built (2026)
- Federal Transit Administration issues Record of Decision on BLE (2026)
- Procure final design and construction contracts
- Obtain land use and construction permits
- Begin property acquisition / relocation
- Advance utility relocation / early work contracts
- Demolition and clearing where necessary to build and operate the light rail guideway
- Earth work such as stormwater systems, column footings, retaining walls and tunneling
- Guideway and station construction
- Ongoing conversations with anyone affected by construction
- Safety education
- Testing and preparations
2039 Start of Service
Ballard Link Extension project map
NEPA scoping
We’ve been collecting your feedback to identify potential alignments and inform our study of the Ballard Link Extension (BLE) alternatives since 2017. As part of our environmental review process, we have a range of alternatives that are being carried forward into the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) scoping. This scoping comment period is intended to collect feedback on the Purpose and Need, alternatives, and potential topics to be studied in the BLE Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The 45-day NEPA scoping comment period ends on Dec. 9.
Attend an event or comment now
Following scoping, Sound Transit will publish a new BLE Draft EIS including a public comment period to gather feedback on the environmental impacts and benefits of each alternative and proposed actions that will help mitigate impacts.
South Downtown Hub
Sound Transit, with the City of Seattle and King County, continues to partner with the community through a workshop series and additional engagement opportunities to develop, evaluate, and advance improvement projects and public transit connections in the CID and Pioneer Square area.
NEPA scoping
For those following along, we have done project scoping before. In 2018 and 2019, Sound Transit hosted scoping events and offered a comment period to collect public feedback on the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions (WSBLE) project. What does this second round of scoping look like for BLE? Many of you have provided thoughtful comments and feedback over several years of engagement. Your input, concerns, and ideas have, and will continue to, inform the BLE Draft EIS alternatives and Sound Transit Board decisions. As we enter this new scoping period, we invite you to share additional and new feedback with us.
After release of the WSBLE Draft EIS and a 90-day comment period in 2022, the Sound Transit Board directed Further Studies of BLE alternatives. These Further Studies led to Board actions in March and July 2023 which added new alternatives and modified the preferred alternatives for the BLE. As a result, it was determined that the WSLE and BLE projects would move on two separate environmental review timelines. The West Seattle Link Extension (WSLE) proceeded to a Final EIS, and the BLE requires a new National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Draft EIS/State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Supplemental Draft EIS.
Scoping offers an opportunity to gather feedback on project alternatives, project purpose and need, and potential benefits and topics to study at the beginning of the environmental review process. Sound Transit is planning for this scoping process and public comment period by preparing materials and engagement opportunities to inform community members about the BLE project history, development of alternatives and identification of the Preferred Alternative alignment by the Board. We will carry forward public feedback and comments collected from the start of the project as part of the ongoing environmental review phase.
At the conclusion of the NEPA scoping process, we will prepare a Draft EIS in coordination with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), with publication anticipated in 2025.
What feedback is collected during the scoping comment period?
The scoping comment period seeks feedback related to…
- Project Purpose and Need
- Alternatives to be studied in the EIS
- Potential topics to study in the EIS
The Draft EIS comment period, anticipated in 2025, seeks feedback on…
- Potential environmental impacts and benefits of each alternative
- Proposed actions that will help mitigate impacts
The purpose of the project is to expand the Sound Transit Link light rail system from SODO to Ballard, to make appropriate community investments to improve mobility, and to increase capacity and connectivity for regional connections to achieve the following:
- Provide high-quality rapid, reliable, and efficient light rail transit service to communities in the project corridor as defined through the local planning process and reflected in the Sound Transit 3 Plan (Sound Transit 2016).
- Improve regional mobility by increasing connectivity and capacity through Downtown Seattle to meet the projected transit demand.
- Connect regional centers as described in adopted regional and local land use, transportation, and economic development plans and Sound Transit’s Regional Transit Long-Range Plan (Sound Transit 2014a).
- Implement a system that is technically and financially feasible to build, operate, and maintain.
- Expand mobility for the corridor and the region’s residents, which include transit-dependent residents, low-income people, and communities of color.
- Encourage equitable and sustainable urban growth in station areas through support of transit-oriented development and multi-modal integration in a manner that is consistent with local land use plans and policies, including Sound Transit’s Equitable Transit Oriented Development Policy (Sound Transit 2018) and Sustainability Plan (Sound Transit 2019).
- Encourage convenient and safe non-motorized access to stations, such as bicycle and pedestrian connections, consistent with Sound Transit’s System Access Policy (Sound Transit 2013).
- Preserve and promote a healthy environment and economy by minimizing adverse impacts on the natural, built, and social environments through sustainable practices.
The project is needed because:
- When measured using national standards, existing transit routes between SODO and Ballard currently operate with poor reliability. Roadway congestion in the project corridor will continue to degrade transit performance and reliability as the city is expected to add about 287,000 people and about 214,000 jobs between 2018 and 2050 (Puget Sound Regional Council 2023).
- Increased ridership from regional population and employment growth will increase operational frequency in the existing Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, requiring additional tunnel capacity.
- Puget Sound Regional Council (the regional metropolitan planning organization) and local plans call for high-capacity transit in the corridor consistent with VISION 2050 (Puget Sound Regional Council 2020) and the Regional Transit Long-Range Plan (Sound Transit 2014a).
- The region’s residents and communities, including transit-dependent people, low-income people, and communities of color, need long-term regional mobility and multi-modal connectivity as called for in the Washington State Growth Management Act (Revised Code of Washington 36.70A.108).
- Regional and local plans call for increased residential and/or employment density at and around high-capacity transit stations and increased options for multi-modal access. VISION 2050 has a goal for 65 percent of the region’s population and 75 percent of the region’s employment to occur in regional growth centers and within walking distance of transit.
- Environmental and sustainability goals of the state and region, as established in Washington state law and embodied in Puget Sound Regional Council’s VISION 2050 (2020) and 2022-2050 Regional Transportation Plan (2022), include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by prioritizing transportation investments that decrease vehicle miles traveled.
November 2016: Sound Transit 3 Ballot Measure
- Sound Transit 3 (ST3) is approved by voters. This plan includes adding 62 new miles of light rail, totaling more than 116 miles with over 80 stations added to the region. Part of this plan includes the West Seattle Link and Ballard Link Extensions (WSBLE) projects, other projects like the bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on the Eastside, additional capacity for the Sounder South line, and access improvements to stations for all modes of travel.
2017 – 2019: WSBLE Alternatives Development
- October 2017: West Seattle Link and Ballard Link Extensions project kicks off the planning phase of the project. The phase is part of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) environmental review process.
- January 2018: Sound Transit hosts the first Stakeholder Advisory Group and Elected Leadership Group meetings to introduce the project and share what to expect for the alternatives development phase.
- February – March 2018: Sound Transit hosts early scoping open houses and a comment period to collect public feedback on the ST3 representative project and gather new ideas to inform development of additional route and station location alternatives.
- March 2018 – April 2019: Sound Transit develops and refines alternatives based on technical evaluations, as well as feedback from the public, Stakeholder Advisory Group, Elected Leadership Group, and Sound Transit Board of Directors. The project goes through three levels of evaluation between early scoping and scoping to help further refine alternatives.
- February – March 2019: Sound Transit hosts scoping open houses and a comment period to collect public feedback on the alternatives to date and topics to study in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
- May 2019: The Sound Transit Board reviews the alternatives, evaluation results, public feedback, and the recommendations of the Elected Leadership Group and identifies the preferred alternative and other alternatives to study in the WSBLE Draft EIS.
- May – October 2019: The Sound Transit Board directs staff to conduct initial assessments on additional route and station options that were suggested during the public scoping period, to establish whether further study in the WSBLE Draft EIS is appropriate.
2019 – 2023 WSBLE Draft Environmental Impact Statement
- May 2019 – December 2021: Sound Transit develops the WSBLE Draft EIS, a document that describes the multiple alternatives being considered, and how each alternative might affect the natural and built environment and transportation systems, both during construction and final operation of the light rail lines.
- November 2019 – January 2020: Sound Transit conducts extensive engagement efforts to gather public feedback regarding WSBLE Station Planning. Sound Transit hosts neighborhood forums and community briefings throughout the project corridor.
- November 2021 – May 2022: Sound Transit kicks off Community Advisory Groups to review and discuss WSBLE Draft EIS findings with community members throughout the corridor. Meetings are online and open to the public.
- January 2022 – April 2022: The Draft EIS is published for a 90-day public review and comment period. Comments are accepted via email, mail, voicemail, comment form, at a virtual public hearing, or an in-person open house. All the details can be found here. Sound Transit receives over 5,000 comments. Additionally, in partnership with the City of Seattle and King County, Sound Transit publishes the WSBLE Station Planning Progress Report alongside the WSBLE Draft EIS to help communities understand the opportunities and challenges of the different alternatives.
- July 2022: After reviewing the Draft EIS and the comments from Tribes, the public and agency partners, the Sound Transit Board identifies the preferred alternative for the West Seattle Link Extension (WSLE) and requested further studies for the Ballard Link Extension (BLE). Read the July 2022 Board Motion and press release for more information.
- August 2022 – March 2023: Sound Transit conducts further studies that included six workshops and open houses and three online surveys for WSBLE. For an overview of the further studies conducted for both extensions and the results, read the Further Studies Executive Summary and reports.
- March and July 2023: The Sound Transit Board identifies a preferred alternative for the BLE. Refinements to WSLE alternatives from the further studies are being incorporated into the WSLE Final EIS. Read the March Board Motion, July Board Motion, and press release for more information.
- September 2023: Given additional environmental review needed for project refinements for BLE resulting from the Sound Transit Board action in March 2023, environmental review for the WSLE and BLE projects proceed on different timelines.
2023 – 2026: Ballard Link Extension (BLE)’s Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statement
- 2023 – 2024: Sound Transit and FTA will begin development of a Draft EIS for BLE.
- December 2023: The Sound Transit Board directs Sound Transit staff to conduct a feasibility study of a new alternative location in the area of 5th Avenue North and Harrison for the South Lake Union (SLU) Station. Read the Board Motion for more information.
Alternatives
Choose a segment below to view the BLE route and station options. The preferred alternatives indicate a preference for alternatives based on currently available information, and is not a decision on the project to be built.
Comment
We’ve been collecting your feedback to identify potential alignments and inform our study of BLE alternatives since 2017. As part of our environmental review process, we have a range of alternatives that are being carried forward into the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) scoping. This scoping comment period is intended to collect feedback on the Purpose and Need, alternatives, and potential topics to be studied in the BLE Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Comment online, in person, via mail or by phone. All comments are due by Dec. 9. Learn more at a scoping drop-in event (details below).
Email: blescoping@soundtransit.org
Voicemail: 206-903-7223
Mail: Ballard Link Extension, Attn: Lauren Swift, Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson St. Seattle, WA 98104
In-person:
Scoping Meeting #1
Nov. 7 from 5 – 7 p.m.
Union Station
401 S Jackson St.
Seattle, WA 98104
Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese interpretation and translated materials will be available. ASL interpretation will be provided. Refreshments and activities for children will be provided.
Scoping Meeting #2
Nov. 13 from 5 – 7 p.m.
National Nordic Museum
2655 NW Market St.
Seattle, WA 98107
ASL interpretation will be provided. Refreshments and activities for children will be provided.
There will be another comment period after the Draft EIS is published where we will share information and ask for feedback about the potential environmental impacts and benefits of each alternative as well as proposed actions that will help mitigate impacts.
Additional Studies
BLE Further Studies (2022 – 2023)
In July 2022, the Sound Transit Board directed the project team to complete additional further studies. Staff held community workshops, open houses, stakeholder meetings and surveys between September 2022 and January 2023.
For an overview of the further studies conducted for both extensions and the results, read the Further Studies Executive Summary and reports or the Further Studies Engagement Summary. Descriptions and key findings for each further study are included below by segment.
South Lake Union Additional Studies
In 2023 and 2024, the Sound Transit Board directed the project team to study additional station locations and alignment concepts in the South Lake Union area. Materials from these further study periods are included below.