Hilltop Link extension almost finished, but another Tacoma Sound Transit project delayed

Sound Transit officials have given the Tacoma City Council good and bad news regarding two light-rail extension projects.

At the March 21 City Council study session, Madeleine Greathouse, project director of Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension, said the project to lengthen Tacoma Link to Stadium District and Hilltop is 99 percent complete.

Greathouse told the council the remaining work includes station finishes, such as installing handrails, erecting signage reminding drivers they are sharing the roadway with trains, and completing side-street pavement. System-integration testing is ongoing to validate functionality, operation and performance, she said.

The extension will open sometime between late July and early September. Greathouse said she doesn’t have a more exact date.

“We’re so close, but we still have a little bit of work to do and some of the remaining work is very critical,” she told the council.

The project doubles the length of Tacoma Link, relocates the Theater District station and adds six stations. The 2.4-mile extension connects downtown with the Stadium District, Wright Park, hospitals and Hilltop.

The Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension has been delayed several times since construction began in November 2018. It was planned to be completed May 2022 but was pushed back by supply problems, additional work and pricier parts.

The last delay was announced in December. Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm said at the time that delay was caused by construction issues and the link extension would open by fall of 2023.

The project was expected to cost $217 million, but the price increased to at least $282 million, which is funded by a partnership with Sound Transit, city of Tacoma, federal transit money and other grants.

Timm said Sound Transit is approaching its 20-year anniversary of the Tacoma Link, which will be marked by the opening of the Hilltop extension.

“There have been a lot of challenges to get here,” Timm said. “It has not been easy, but the commitment has never been stronger to get that open and serve the community this year.”

Tacoma Dome Link Extension delays

In February, Sound Transit announced another setback for the light-rail project to connect Tacoma to Seattle.

Timm said at the study session it was unfortunate news that the project is going to take longer than anticipated as it addresses issues with floodplains and cultural resources.

“We need to make sure that we move forward with these generational investments with integrity and with intention, so they do no harm to the environment and to our partners,” she said.

The Tacoma Dome Link Extension is now planned to open in 2035, a delay of 2-1/2 years.

Due to floodplain issues in Fife, two new station options will be proposed, on 54th Avenue West and 54th Avenue East. Diane Wiatr, Sound Transit high capacity development manager, said the station options are near where the City of Fife plans to build a new city center.

Sound Transit has proposed to move the route in south Federal Way to avoid adverse effects to cultural resources and construction challenges along the planned route along Interstate 5 to state Route 99, or also known as Pacific Highway.

Tacoma City Council and Pierce County Council sent a letter earlier this month to Sound Transit pressing Sound Transit to provide transportation to South Sound residents following the delay announcement.

Timm thanked the Tacoma council for its letter. She said Sound Transit will look at higher frequencies on the Sounder commuter rail and how it can support the region with ST Express bus service.

“There have been a lot of issues over the years, and we just had one recently, but I think there will always be issues or challenges that come up, but how we’ve worked together to solve them is what’s important,” Mayor Victoria Woodards said at the study session.

The Sound Transit Board approved the two alternatives for the project’s draft environmental impact statement at its Thursday meeting.

Pierce County Executive and Sound Transit board member Bruce Dammeier said the alternatives are necessary, but he wanted to challenge Sound Transit not to delay the completion of the Tacoma Dome Link Extension.

“We’ve got to be looking more creatively at ways we can deliver these types of projects on time,” he said. “We know that delays cost us hundreds of millions of dollars, so we have got to change our culture. We’ve got to be more accountable to budget and schedule, and I think we have to look for more creative ways to maintain the schedule.”

Tacoma Deputy Mayor Kristina Walker, who is a Sound Transit board member, said Pierce County riders were disappointed and frustrated but looked to mitigate the delay.

King County Council Member and board member Claudia Balducci said the entire board should support Pierce County in working toward short-term support and shifting its culture to be “forward leaning into action” to get service to riders and taxpayers as soon as possible.

This story was originally published March 27, 2023 at 10:46 AM.