“Early gift” for Sound Transit as feds intend to fund Federal Way extension

Federal funding for Sound Transit’s Federal Way light-rail extension is imminent following the transfer of a $790 million Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Friday that kicked off a 30-day notification period. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Transportation notified Congress of its intent to close a $629.5 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for the project that is part of a master loan agreement secured in 2016.  

“This is an early gift for the South Sound community that will help decrease commute times and reduce traffic congestion for families, students, workers and travelers throughout the region,” said U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). “As transit ridership in Puget Sound continues to grow and more Washingtonians look to transportation alternatives like light rail to escape gridlock and traffic, this vital infrastructure project will help keep Puget Sound moving toward the future. I commend [U.S. Department of Transportation] Secretary Chao and the FTA for working with Washingtonians to move this critical project forward, and I look forward to getting this project underway.”

This project extends light rail 7.8 miles from Angle Lake Station in the city of SeaTac to the Federal Way Transit Center. The extension includes three stations in Kent/Des Moines near Highline College, South 272nd Street and the Federal Way Transit Center. All three stations add parking for a total of 3,200 spaces along the route. Sound Transit expects between 29,000 and 34,000 riders will use the service daily by 2026.

According to U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell’s (D-WA) office, traffic congestion in the I-5 corridor has increased by 128 percent in the past five years, while transit ridership has grown by 196 percent.

"It takes forever to travel to and from South King County because of worsening traffic jams," said Sound Transit and King County Council member Dave Upthegrove. "Thanks to this federal funding for the light-rail project, an option to escape traffic gridlock in South King County is on the way."

Following its anticipated opening in 2024, riders will be connected to the Federal Way Transit Center and Sea-Tac Airport in 15 minutes and Kent/Des Moines to downtown Seattle in 42 minutes, which is approximately half an hour savings versus driving.

Sound Transit anticipates the TIFIA loan will be signed this week followed by the signing of the FFGA in mid-January. In May 2019, the Sound Transit Board of Directors selected Kiewit Infrastructure West Company to design and build the Federal Way Link Extension. Construction is expected to begin shortly after the FFGA is executed.

"A year ago, Sound Transit secured a $1.2 billion FFGA grant for Lynnwood Link. Now, we have secured a commitment from the administration to also fund Federal Way Link thanks to the persistent efforts of our congressional delegation," said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. "I also want to thank Secretary Chao and [FTA] Acting Administrator Williams for their support on expanding transit options in our region that will help commuters escape ever-worsening gridlock."