Seattle Mayor Harrell issues executive order to speed up delivery of light rail to West Seattle and Ballard

Seattle Mayor and Sound Transit Board Member Bruce Harrell has issued a new executive order to improve the coordination of the city of Seattle’s efforts to safely and efficiently speed up the delivery of light rail to West Seattle and Ballard, Wash. The voter-approved ST3 project is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Seattle’s history and one of the largest transit expansions currently happening in the country. 

The executive order launches four key initiatives: 

• Organization – The city will establish the Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects & Sound Transit, expanding the work of this office to include Sound Transit under Director Angela Brady. 
• Permitting – The mayor’s office will lead the development of and transmit to the city council legislation to streamline the permit process for the project. To speed up light-rail delivery, the city will consider land use code changes, formal adoption of ST3 projects and supportive property transactions. 
• Resources – Budgets of $5.2 million in 2025 and $6.8 million in 2026 will fund up to 50 additional staff across city departments to support design, permitting, construction and station area planning. 
• Rider experience – The expanded Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects & Sound Transit will create a four-year work plan to ensure a safe and excellent transit experience, including station design, access improvements, safety enhancements and equitable transit-oriented development to build connected communities. 

“Sound Transit is a once-in-a-generation investment in our future, but we can’t wait generations for it to be completed. This order is focused on making sure the city is doing everything it can to speed up light-rail delivery, supporting the transformation of regional mobility and expansion of access to housing, jobs and other destinations for Seattle and our entire region,” Mayor Harrell said. “Director Brady and the new Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects & Sound Transit have the proven ability, expertise and creativity to help deliver this major transit expansion as quickly and safely as possible. A successful Sound Transit expansion is key to building a more connected and sustainable One Seattle, and this executive order helps fulfill that promise.”  

“We applaud Mayor Harrell for demonstrating the city of Seattle’s commitment to working closely with us to deliver the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extension projects affordably and effectively,” said Sound Transit Interim CEO Goran Sparrman. “Continuing collaboration between Sound Transit and the city will ensure we find efficiencies and ways to save costs, and ultimately result in stations that are accessible, equitable and integral to their local and regional communities.” 

The Sound Transit Program has been managed by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), with about 20 full-time staff across departments and additional part-time support. The new Office of Civic and Waterfront Projects & Sound Transit will work closely with SDOT on improvements to make access to and from stations safer and easier, manage street use during construction and more. 

“Mayor Harrell’s executive order will put the full weight of the city of Seattle behind delivering Sound Transit’s light-rail expansion to Seattle neighborhoods as efficiently as possible. Our office has led over a decade of community involvement, design and construction to successfully deliver on major investments that will forever shape Seattle’s waterfront and our city’s identity and I am thrilled to be able to utilize our project delivery expertise toward the enormously transformational Sound Transit 3 Program,” Brady said. “I want to thank the mayor for his trust in me and the city’s Sound Transit 3 team, as we bring all city departments together in partnership with Sound Transit, King County and other agencies, and Seattle communities to ensure that we can effectively and successfully deliver light rail to Ballard, South Lake Union, Downtown, Chinatown-International District, SoDo, Delridge and West Seattle.” 

The Ballard Link Extension will add 7.7 miles of light rail, connecting downtown Seattle to Ballard with nine new stations, a second downtown transit tunnel and a Salmon Bay crossing. It is expected to be completed by 2039. The West Seattle Link Extension will add 4.1 miles of light rail from downtown Seattle to West Seattle, with four new stations and a bridge over the Duwamish River, projected to finish by 2032. An infill station at South Graham Street will add one new station on the existing 1-Line, projected to open by 2031. 

“We need to build our light rail faster, as it is key to making Seattle more connected, affordable and climate resilient. Mayor Harrell’s executive order is an important step to cut red tape and deliver results. I am excited to work together to get this done,” said Seattle Councilmember and Sound Transit Board Member Dan Strauss (D-6).    

The executive order can be found on SDOT’s website.