Nix the new tunnel? Sound Transit looks for big moves to save billions Joshua McNichols September 05, 2025 / 2:40 pm

Sound Transit’s light rail expansion plans could cost up to 25% more than expected. This week, board members began brainstorming on how to bring down costs.

They hope to come up with a more realistic plan by summer of 2026.

In 2016, voters passed Sound Transit 3, a package that would expand light rail to Federal Way, Tacoma, Everett, Issaquah, Ballard, and West Seattle, along with many other transit improvements.

But with the price of concrete these days (along with many, many other rising costs on everything from land to labor), the remaining work could cost billions more than expected.

In Seattle, local elected leaders are getting squeamish.

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