How Tacoma light rail and other major transit projects fared in milestone vote
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- The Sound Transit Board approved updating ST3 to address a $34 billion shortfall.
- ST3 is a 2016 ballot measure expanding the regional transit system.
- In the update, the Tacoma Dome Link Extension remains on schedule.
The Sound Transit Board approved a plan Thursday that keeps the light-rail extension to Tacoma on track for a scheduled 2035 completion, shaping the future of transit in Pierce County and the region.
Passed during a roughly six-hour meeting that included several amendments, the update to Sound Transit 3 (ST3) addressed a $34 billion funding gap in the 2016 ballot measure expanding regional transit. The lengthy board session, which prompted tough discussions about regional projects on the back-burner, featured no changes to Pierce County projects from the cost-cutting proposal presented in early May.
The Tacoma Dome Link Extension, currently estimated to cost $6.6 billion, is fully funded and anticipated to begin construction by 2030, according to the updated ST3 plan. The estimated $1.7-billion T Line expansion to Tacoma Community College is also fully funded and expected to open in 2043, two years later than previously scheduled.
The Sounder extension south from Lakewood, with new stations at Tillicum and DuPont, is funded for planning but not for the estimated $865 million needed for final design and construction, according to the plan. There’s no timeline for its completion.
Separately, the board voted Thursday to approve an additional 1.372% sales tax on car rentals, as authorized by the 2016 ballot measure, raising the agency’s collection to a 2.172% rate that will take effect on Jan. 1. The increase is expected to generate roughly $300 million through the life of ST3’s financial plan, which was extended from 2046 to 2052 in the plan update, according to Sound Transit.
Between 2017 and 2025, Sound Transit collected nearly $3.3 billion in tax revenues from Pierce County taxpayers alone. But those revenues haven’t yet been invested in the county as quickly as tax dollars generated in King and Snohomish counties have been spent in those respective jurisdictions, The News Tribune previously reported.
The board’s vote, amending ST3 for the second time since its passage 10 years ago, punctuated efforts since last year to address the major funding shortfall in the package of transit projects spanning King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. The board was required by law to adopt an affordable financial plan and couldn’t move forward building any projects until that was done, according to Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine.
Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello, one of four local delegates on the 18-member board, called the new plan “a major milestone,” but warned that the toughest work lies ahead.
“None of these projects are easy and straightforward to design and deliver,” Mello said. “They’re all complicated and it’s going to take all of us to work so hard to deliver the projects, even in the fully-funded list.”
The board will also work to move partially funded projects to the fully funded list and is committed to completing the entirety of the ST3 plan, according to Mello.
“I just want to appreciate the effort to get here, but this was the easy part,” he said.
Sound Transit Board Chair Dave Somers, also Snohomish County Executive, underscored Thursday that the updated plan was only a starting point and reiterated that no projects were being permanently eliminated.
“Some communities see projects delayed,” Somers said, noting that their concerns were real and deserved respect. “Others worry about equity, timeliness, timelines or whether commitments will ultimately be fulfilled.”
“The proposal does not cancel ST3. It preserves it,” Somers added. “It prioritizes continued progress on major light-rail extensions, keeps critical projects moving forward. It creates a framework that allows us to continue advancing projects as financial conditions improve and new opportunities emerge.”
Leading up to a May 7 meeting where the proposed updated plan was presented, Pierce County delegates on the Sound Transit board had vowed not to accept deferring the Tacoma Dome Link Extension after it had been contemplated in an exercise during a board retreat in March.
In a joint statement following Thursday’s vote, Mello and fellow board member Tacoma Council member Kristina Walker expressed optimism.
“Light rail is coming to Tacoma. We are proud that this plan keeps the Tacoma Dome Link Extension firmly on schedule,” they said. “This vote reflects our unwavering commitment to delivering South Sound voters what they were promised.”
This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 8:16 PM.
