On March 18, Sound Transit representatives presented an update on the West Seattle and Ballard Link light rail extensions to the Seattle City Council Transportation Committee, outlining project timelines and benefits while acknowledging significant budget challenges, particularly for the West Seattle project. The meeting, chaired by Council Member Rob Saka, aimed to inform the committee and the public about the status of these major transit investments and discuss the city's role in their implementation.

Brad Owen, an executive director within Sound Transit's capital delivery program, emphasized the agency's partnership with the City of Seattle, recognizing Council Member Strauss's leadership on the Sound Transit Board and Mayor Harrell's executive order supporting the ST3 program. Jason Hampton, light rail development manager for Sound Transit, detailed the anticipated benefits of the West Seattle Link Extension, including a reduction in travel time from Alaska Junction to West Lake Station by 50%. He projected construction to begin in 2027, with an expected opening around 2032.

However, a significant portion of the discussion focused on the multi-billion dollar budget shortfall for the West Seattle extension. Council Member Saka directly addressed this issue, stating, "There's a widely known well documented widely reported multi-billion dollar budget shortfall".

Sound Transit confirmed the scale of the financial challenge. "So, our current current estimate that we have is 6.8 to 7.4 billion I believe is what we've reported to our board," stated Brad Owen. He further clarified that the "allocated funding is 4.1 [billion]".

Chair Saka emphasized the need for Sound Transit to address this gap and its potential impact on the project, as well as the city's role in enabling the project. "All that is to say, can you talk a little bit about the  the timeline to address that and how that impacts the project and specifically in West Seattle?" he asked.

In response, Brad Owen cited increasing costs of infrastructure and transit projects nationwide, including demands for labor, materials, equipment, and rising real estate costs. He also noted a contractor shortage in the current environment. "We are committed to trying to improve the agency's position as you in the early phases of the project there is a tendency to look at the worst case scenarios so that you know we don't want to indicate that the project is going to cost less than it will because then we have to go fix that," Owen explained. He indicated that Sound Transit is working towards a fall 2025 timeline to gain more clarity on project costs, with potential board action to address scoping and cost issues.

The project is currently awaiting an announcement from the office of Sean Duffy U.S. Dept. of Transportation on the Record of Decision. That announcement would mean the design process could go ahead. It's been delayed to April 29 and may be delayed further.

The presentation also included an update on the Ballard Link extension, which adds nearly 8 miles of light rail service and nine new stations, including a downtown tunnel. The draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Ballard extension is expected in late 2025.

Council Member Saka concluded the discussion on Sound Transit by thanking the presenters and his colleagues, highlighting the importance of these transit investments for the entire region. He also acknowledged the concerns raised during public comment about the financial impact and displacement caused by the projects. "While supporting this project, I also want to make clear to Sound Transit and expectation of mine and my hope is that the agency work with those directly affected and displaced by this important transit infrastructure investment and doing our best to the full extent of the law to make sure they are made whole in their entirety as part of the the displacement process," Saka stated, referencing his previous communication with Sound Transit.