‘We will get to Ballard’ – Mosqueda welcomes Sound Transit's new Ballard roadmap, timeline

July 31, 2026

Sound Transit Board Member Teresa Mosqueda released the following statement Friday regarding Sound Transit's publication outlining new milestones and next steps for delivering the Ballard Link Extension to Market Street. Mosqueda helped champion the Sound Transit Board's May action to fully fund Ballard Link Extension design while accelerating efforts to identify additional cost savings and financing tools needed to complete the project.

"The funding package adopted by the Sound Transit Board in May included 100% design for Ballard and amendments sponsored by North King County board members to accelerate Sound Transit’s pursuit of cost savings, additional financial tools, and community and board accountability on Ballard light rail—including providing a date for delivering Ballard that’s accurate and informed by analysis. Today we are seeing action on those directives.

“The framework shared by Sound Transit provides a date that’s grounded in tangible steps for delivering all the way to Market Street. The design work done on West Seattle shows what’s possible when we demand creative thinking and aggressively pursue cost-savings options: properties avoided, ridership retained, and billions saved. Now we must apply the same approach to Ballard while rolling up our sleeves with our state legislative partners to secure the needed financial tools. We will get to Ballard, and we will not stop working until we deliver on that commitment.”