Sound Transit broke ground at the Lynnwood Transit Center on Tuesday, signaling a major milestone in the construction of the Lynnwood Link Extension project. Sound Transit leaders were joined by Governor Jay Inslee, Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Reps. Rick Larsen and Suzan DelBene at the event.
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Planning for the Lynnwood extension began in 2010 after voters approved funding for the project through the Sound Transit 2 package in 2008. Also included in that package was the University of Washington to Northgate extension, which is set to open in 2021.
The 8.5-mile extension from Northgate into Snohomish County will serve four stations — Shoreline South/145th, Shoreline North/185th, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood City Center. Service is expected to being in 2024.
Other link extensions include Downtown Seattle to Overlake (2023) and Angle Lake to Federal Way (2024).
In his prepared remarks for the groundbreaking, Governor Inslee congratulated Sound Transit on the accomplishment and discussed what the expansion will mean for better transportation in the Snohomish County region.
Inslee also highlighted the federal and local partnerships that made the project possible.
“We can celebrate that we have a strong and healthy state and regional partnership—that’s not always the case in other parts of the country. And collaborative partnerships are what gets these important projects across the finish line.”
“When we invest in a bridge – or a light rail extension – it’s because we believe in ourselves and in the future. It’s because we have confidence in ourselves and our communities. A bridge or a train is a monument to optimism.”
According to Sound Transit, the extension will run every 4-6 minutes during peak hours, and is expected to serve 47,000 – 55,000 daily riders by 2026.
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