EVERETT, Wash. - Sound Transit has published the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Everett Link Extension, opening a 45-day public comment period that runs through Nov. 2, the agency announced.
The document weighs alternatives for light rail stations, routes and the Operations and Maintenance Facility North, and examines how each option could affect natural, human and built environments, according to Sound Transit. Topics covered include transportation, ecosystems and water resources, noise and vibration, historic resources and parks, property acquisitions and relocations, and temporary construction impacts.
The Everett Link Extension is scheduled to open in two phases, with service reaching the Southwest Everett Industrial Center Station in 2037 and Everett Station in 2041. Sound Transit says the current planning phase is when public feedback can have the most influence on the project.
After the comment period closes, the project team will fold feedback into the design and the Final EIS. Once that document is approved, the Federal Transit Administration will evaluate issuing a Record of Decision, and the Sound Transit Board will vote on a preferred alignment, a step anticipated in early 2028 that would close out the planning phase.
Sound Transit is hosting a virtual meeting and hearing on Oct. 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom, followed by in-person sessions on Oct. 13 at Mariner High School in Everett, Oct. 15 at the Carl Gipson Center in Everett, and Oct. 21 at the Lynnwood Neighborhood Center. Each in-person meeting runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Comments can also be submitted online at everettlink.participate.online, by voicemail at 425-243-6255, or by email at [email protected], the agency said.