Sound Transit announces preferred light rail alternatives between Federal Way and Tacoma

The Sound Transit Board announced on June 26 that it has voted on preferred alternative routes for the future light rail’s southernmost extension between Federal Way and Tacoma.

This section is called the Tacoma Dome Link Extension (TDLE) and will include four new stations.

In South Federal Way, the SR 99-West Alternative was chosen as the preferred route, with a design refinement to run on the east side of SR 99 in Milton.

This design refinement crosses from the west side of SR 99 to the east side at about the county line (about a half-mile north of Birch Street), continues along the east side of SR 99 for about a half-mile, and then north of 70th Avenue east where it would leave SR 99, according to David Jackson of Sound Transit.

The South Federal Way station preference was for the version with the station on the south side of South 352nd Street.

These route alternatives will avoid the highly sensitive cultural resource of the site of a former residential school called St. George’s Catholic Indian School, the remains of which are located near the current Gethsemane Cemetery. More information about the history and impact of St. George’s and other local residential schools can be found through the Boarding School and Cushman Project by the Puyallup Tribe’s Historic Preservation Department.

An initial preferred alternative for South Federal Way was identified in 2019 along I-5, but further evaluation determined that no mitigation could be sufficient to avoid disturbing cultural resources there, as previously reported by the Mirror.

A single station in Fife had also been identified in that time period, but was found to be on a floodplain. Federal regulations then required Sound Transit to consider alternatives without that issue.

These challenges required more options to be studied before a preferred alternative could be established, and an in-depth period of public comment, collaboration and evaluation led to the recent vote.

As with the other route alternatives, the latest preferred alternative route will still displace businesses and residents as well as affect some historic sites and wetlands, but is also “another step forward in building the regional light rail spine that voters approved,” as Sound Transit Board Chair and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said in a press release.

Somers also noted that “this vote marks a major milestone toward establishing light rail service to all three counties in the Sound Transit district.”

Farther south

In Fife, the board chose the Fife I-5 Alternative and the Fife Station in the vicinity of 15th Street East and 59th Avenue East.

In Tacoma, the Portland Avenue Station and the route and Tacoma Dome station in the “Tacoma Close-to-Sounder” location were selected.

Now that the vote has been completed, the project will enter the preliminary engineering and final environmental impact statement phases, according to a press release by Sound Transit.

Identifying the preferred alternative indicates “the direction the Sound Transit Board is currently leaning,” but the actual project to be built, or final route, is anticipated to be confirmed in 2027, after the publication of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

“Today’s board action is a critical step toward delivering the Tacoma Dome Link Extension for Pierce County,” said Sound Transit Board Vice Chair and Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello in the press release. “This project is essential to improving daily commutes, expanding access to jobs and strengthening our economic ties to the greater Puget Sound region. I remain committed to ensuring this investment meets the needs of Pierce County communities and helps build a more connected, prosperous future for our residents.”

Learn more: For a thorough overview of the various alternatives that have been considered, visit www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/TDLE-alternatives-guide.pdf.

The “Close to Sounder” option was selected for both the station and route preferred alternatives by the Sound Transit Board. Graphic provided by Sound Transit