EVERETT, Wash. Sound Transit has published the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Everett Link Extension and is accepting public comment through Nov. 2, the agency announced, inviting residents to weigh in on station, route and Operations and Maintenance Facility North locations.
The extension, approved by voters in 2016, is scheduled to open in two phases, with service reaching the Southwest Everett Industrial Center Station in 2037 and Everett Station in 2041. Design work is planned from 2028 to 2030, with construction running from 2030 into the 2037 to 2041 window.
Sound Transit said the project is currently in the planning phase, when the public can have the most impact. The Draft EIS compares route, station and OMF North alternatives and examines how each alignment option could affect natural, human and built environments, along with how potential impacts could be reduced where feasible.
After the 45-day comment period closes Nov. 2, the project team will work to incorporate public feedback into the design and the Final EIS. Once that document is published and approved, the Federal Transit Administration will evaluate issuing a Record of Decision, and the Sound Transit Board will vote on the preferred alignment, a step anticipated in early 2028 that would mark the end of the planning phase.
Topics studied in the Draft EIS include transportation, the natural environment, the social environment, community resources, acquisitions and relocations, and temporary construction impacts. The agency suggests starting with the executive summary and the project engagement website, then using the table of contents and appendices to find deeper detail on subjects like noise, transportation, wetlands, acquisitions and land use.
Sound Transit also scheduled a virtual meeting on Oct. 6 via Zoom and three in-person sessions in October, at Mariner High School in Everett, the Carl Gipson Center in Everett and the Lynnwood Neighborhood Center, where the public was invited to ask questions and offer feedback.
Comments can be submitted online at everettlink.participate.online, by voicemail at 425-243-6255, by email at [email protected], or by mail to the Everett Link Extension team at Sound Transit's office at 401 S Jackson St in Seattle.