Light rail extension south into Pierce County just took a major step forward, with a Sound Transit committee unanimously confirming a preferred route between Federal Way and Tacoma’s Dome District. The route selected comes after significant recalibration for the project, additional planning work that pushed the expected opening from 2032 to 2035.
Paired with earlier delays, that three-year setback pushed the project a full five years behind the original Sound Transit 3 (ST3) timeline of 2030 that voters got on board with in 2016.
With the first light rail line anywhere in the U.S. to cross an Indian reservation, Sound Transit has faced significant design challenges getting the Tacoma Dome Link Extension to this point. Those challenges include impacts to significant cultural assets belonging to the Puyallup Tribe in South Federal Way, a floodplain to navigate through the city of Fife, and a fully built-out mobility hub at Tacoma Dome.
In contrast with other parts of the ST3 network where route selection has been more contentious — Ballard Link through Downtown Seattle, for example — by the time a vote on the new preferred alignment came, Sound Transit reached a broad consensus with local leaders on the best path forward.
“It really is exciting to be here today during the first significant board vote for a Pierce County project during my tenure on the board,” Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello said Thursday. “The Tacoma Dome Link Extension project will bring light rail to Pierce County, connecting us to the regional system and the rest of this growing region. We know that it will drive economic development, mobility and increased access to opportunities for our residents for decades to come, and that’s why we’re working so hard to make this a reality.”
When open, the line will provide a 35-minute trip between Tacoma Dome and SeaTac Airport, with a trip to Downtown Seattle set to take an hour and ten minutes. The agency pegged the cost at $4.4 billion in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), but that number is almost guaranteed to be revised upward as Sound Transit advances design work, mirroring large cost increases seen on the West Seattle Link Extension.
The project still has a long road ahead.
“To be clear, the action today is not a final decision. It is an indication of where the system expansion committee is currently leading in our recommendation to the board,” System Expansion Committee Chair Claudia Balducci said. “After the board identifies the preferred alternative, the project team will continue to advance design and environmental planning, leading to the Final Environmental Impact Statement.”
That FEIS is expected to be issued by 2027, with construction not set to start until 2029. Sound Transit’s plan is to open parking facilities at both South Federal Way and Fife by 2038, in line with new timelines for parking established during a financial reset during the pandemic. But all of those timelines could be up-in-the-air as Sound Transit grapples with financial pressures from all angles, and the agency looks to find ways to be more efficient in delivering projects.
SR 99 alignment south of Federal Way
Just as with Federal Way Link route decisions a decade ago, the agency was faced with two major choices when it comes to heading south from Downtown toward Tacoma: to run along SR 99 (Pacific Highway S) or I-5. To the chagrin of transit advocates, and due to significant advocacy from the City of Federal Way, Sound Transit picked an I-5 alignment north of Downtown, and was poised to double down on that decision and head back to I-5 with Tacoma Dome Link.
But that initial preferred alignment along I-5 ran into significant issues due to cultural artifacts near the highway, specifically the former location of St. George’s Indian School, a site that also includes a graveyard. Sound Transit has described these sites as “highly sensitive.”
“The SF Enchanted Parkway and SF I-5 alternatives […] both would have unavoidable impacts to known culturally sensitive areas and resources in proximity to the I-5 corridor,” the project’s Draft EIS states. While a 99 alignment would include more business displacements, those impacts have essentially taken any I-5 alignments off the table through South Federal Way.
The new preferred alternative would site a station at 352nd Street, a location touted for its potential for transit-oriented development. Federal Way has taken steps toward rezoning the area to accommodate more housing, but is also pushing to maintain some of the area’s most auto-dominated uses, due to their contribution to the city’s sales tax base.
I-5 alignment through Fife
For a station in Fife, the new preferred option would be built in the middle of the city center, away from busy 54th Avenue E. From there, the route is set to head back to I-5, avoiding construction impacts along SR 99. But with no additional stations planned along that stretch, the tradoffs are more clear here, with a 99 alignment leading to the displacement of significantly more businesses.
“On behalf of Fife, I just want to say how excited most of us are — many of us — about this connection with our neighbors coming through, and we’ve been planning for a long time for our downtown core area, which is just north of the Emerald Queen Casino,” Fife Mayor Kim Roscoe said ahead of the committee vote.
One issue that sent Sound Transit back to the drawing board through Fife is potential impacts from major flooding. But additional analysis has shown those concerns to be overblown, according to Fife officials. All of the options on the table are now set to be equivalent in flood risk, though Sound Transit may need to provide some additional mitigation measures as it heads into final design.
“The City found that there is no recent and accurate data that the Fife Station is within the FEMA 100-year floodplain. The FEMA maps are based on out of date and incorrect information. For example, the data used in the mapping is from the 1980’s and does not reflect any stormwater infrastructure improvements constructed since 1984,” a Fife staff report on TDLE noted. “The City of Fife recently conducted
a flood analysis of four properties at the Preferred Station Location. The analysis resulted in 3.5 of 4 properties being removed from the 100-year floodplain.”
A strong finish in Tacoma
Coming into Tacoma, the board coalesced around locations for two stations both strongly supported by the City of Tacoma. For a Portland Avenue station, set to be built in what is largely an industrial area right now, the preferred station steers clear of straddling the roadway, in response to concerns about traffic impacts on a major freight corridor. That decision could have downstream impacts on access, with riders no longer able to access the station without crossing Portland Avenue from the west.
Plans to pave the way for additional housing near the Portland Avenue station are coming via Tacoma’s Tideflats Subarea Plan, which envisions a Seaport Transition TOD (STT) District immediately around the station creating a transition to more industrial uses further out.
For the station at Tacoma Dome itself, the new preferred option is set to be one that threads the needle between being close to both the Sounder and Amtrak Stations and maintaining service on the existing T Line streetcar into downtown through construction. The “Close to Sounder” option is one that had not been initially advanced by Sound Transit, with the previous choice being a station in the E 25th Street right-of-way.
“Whereas the existing preferred alternative in the Dome District was selected by the board back a number of years ago, the truth is that Close to Sounder wasn’t really on the table at that time,” Brian Boudet, Tacoma’s Planning Division Manager, told the Tacoma Council earlier this year. “In both of these stations, the importance of getting from that light rail to other modes to connect people out into the community is of critical importance, and I think maybe most obviously so in the Dome District, where the Dome District is not in the core of Downtown.”
The Close to Sounder option will require the demolition of Freighthouse Square, an indoor marketplace home to dozens of small businesses. As an aging former railway depot, the building itself is badly in need of repairs, and the City of Tacoma’s focus looks to be finding ways to support the existing businesses at the square through construction rather than save the building.
“We have big dreams for the Tacoma Dome station and want to ensure it reflects the unique history of the Dome District, provides an integrated and dynamic station design that supports this growing urban Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) district, incorporates and builds upon many of the community and transit rider services provided in our existing Freighthouse Square, and serves as an inspiring entrance to the City of Destiny,” the Tacoma Council wrote in a letter dated this past May. “We envision a welcoming space and vibrant center for community and commerce, infused with natural light and materials, designed to attract local investment and promote co-location of public amenities.”
Demolition of Freighthouse Square will require the full rebuilding of the existing joint Sounder and Amtrak Station, but when complete, transfers will be as close to seamless as they can be, with light rail, commuter rail, and streetcar service co-located.
While no official plans yet exist to extend the 1 Line further into Downtown Tacoma, Sound Transit is advancing a separate project that will extend the T Line streetcar out to Tacoma Community College, a project that is set to be completed sometime between 2039 and 2041. As it stands, the T Line connects the Dome District to Downtown Tacoma, Stadium District, and Hilltop.
The full Sound Transit board is set to take a final vote on the new preferred alternative for the Tacoma Dome Link Extension on June 23.
Ryan Packer has been writing for The Urbanist since 2015, and currently reports full-time as Contributing Editor. Their beats are transportation, land use, public space, traffic safety, and obscure community meetings. Packer has also reported for other regional outlets including BikePortland, Seattle Met, and PubliCola. They live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.