East Link Extension | Timeline and milestones | Sound Transit

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East Link Extension

Connecting the Eastside with reliable light rail

Table of contents

Table of contents

Voter approval (2008)

Milestone	Target
Feasibility study and public comment
Preferred route alternative selected
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) completed
Board selects route and final project to be built	2011
Record of decision

Sound Transit completes the design of the trackway, stations and art installations as well as determining construction methods, including sequencing and mitigation.

Milestone	Target
Sound Transit and Bellevue City Council finalize tunnel design	2011
City of Bellevue cost-savings plan completed	2013
State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) Addendum to final EIS	2016
Second SEPA Addendum for I-90 HOV lane use between Seattle and Mercer Island	2017

Milestone	Target
Construction starts on the Operations and Maintenance Facility: East (OMF East) in Bellevue
Elevated rail guideway is placed over I-405 in Bellevue	2018
Excavation of the downtown Bellevue tunnel is completed
The Rainier Freeway station and D2 bus roadway from I-90 into downtown Seattle close in the fall for construction of Judkins Park Station
Complete "post-tensioning" the I-90 floating bridge to prepare it for light rail and increase its lifespan
Undercrossing on 112th Avenue Southeast in Bellevue gets started
Work proceeds on station construction and guideway placement along the route
Safety testing and pre-operations checks complete

Start of service (2024/2025)*

* Sound Transit began offering 2 Line service between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations in April 2024.

The 2 Line, which is not affected by quality issues related to construction, opened before the I-90 segment. The remainder of East Link, that crosses I-90 and includes Judkins Park and Mercer Island Stations, is expected to open in 2025.