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Eastside Light Rail Opens But Storm Clouds Loom for Sound Transit

March 26, 2026

SOURCE_URL::https://mynorthwest.com/chokepoints/eastside-light-rail/4221623||SOURCE_NAME::MyNorthwest.com ((“School Board” OR “School Board Member” OR “Board of Education” OR “Board of Education Member” OR “Community College Trustee” OR “College Board Trustee” OR “Water District Board” OR “Fire District Co)

Washington — It’s six years late, but light rail service across Lake Washington is set to begin on Saturday, creating a truly regional public transportation system. I couldn’t have asked for a better day to take my first trip across the lake on Thursday. The views from the center of I-90 were amazing. The top of the Seattle skyline. Mount Rainier. The Bellevue skyline and incredible views of the lake.

First trip across the lake. A little nervous as we hit the floating bridge. A little jolt but smooth. pic.twitter.com/zW5psxsSoh

— Chris Sullivan (@NEWSGUYSULLY) March 26, 2026

I hadn’t been on those tracks in eight years, and that felt like a lifetime ago. There was so much anticipation in 2018 as I toured the construction zone as the tracks were being laid. Light rail to the Eastside was just a few years away.

Then came the news that the concrete plinths, the supports for the tracks, were bad. Not just some of them, but all of them. All that track had to come out. That was a bad day for King County Council Member and Sound Transit Board Member Claudia Balducci.

“There were many days on this project when I wondered whether we were going to get to the end, and that was one of them,” Balducci told me from the soon-to-be-open Judkins Station. “The trick was to just never quit. The construction team never quit. The contractors never quit. We worked through everything, and now we have a system that I feel very confident about.”

The tracks are down Thursday, and service starts Saturday. Opening light rail to the Eastside will be a game-changer. Better late than never.

“This is the most challenging project we have ever built or that we will ever have to build,” Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine said on the ride from south Bellevue to Mercer Island. “There were some challenges. The contractor really struggled with some of the infrastructure on the bridge and had to redo some of it, and that slowed us down a little bit.”

For perspective, this is the first time in human history that someone has put train tracks on a floating bridge.

And through all the problems, service is now here.

“The fact is we got it done,” Constantine said. “We’re delivering it, and it is going to be a remarkable asset for the people here for generations to come.”

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous as the train transitioned from Mercer Island to the floating bridge. A little jostle was all there was. Cheers to the engineers who pulled this off.

Why it matters: This project represents a significant investment in public transportation that will improve mobility and connectivity for residents. However, the challenges faced during construction highlight the complexities and risks associated with large infrastructure projects.

What to watch:

  • Potential operational issues as the system begins service.
  • Public reception and usage rates in the first few months.
  • Future projects and expansions in the region that may be impacted by this experience.

Source credibility: MyNorthwest.com is a reliable regional news outlet with a focus on local issues and events.

Published: March 26, 2026 9:17 PM

Source: MyNorthwest — https://go.noligarchy.us/3yoYXT