SEATTLE — Sound Transit opened the Crosslake Connection on Saturday, completing light rail service across Lake Washington on a floating bridge for the first time anywhere in the world and uniting the Eastside with Seattle and beyond in one interconnected system. The regional Link light rail network now spans 63 miles with 50 stations.
“For 50 years, we have been working toward this goal,” Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine said pledging to fulfill the full scope of the voter approved regional light rail system. “As of today, we will have 50 link stations across 63 miles and multiple counties. And we are just getting started. … We will go to Tacoma. We will go to Everett. We will go to the East Side and West Seattle. And yes, my friends, we will go all the way to Ballard.”
The milestone was celebrated with a grand opening ceremony at Sam Smith Park near the new Judkins Park Station and marked the final 7-mile segment of the 2 Line. It added stations at Mercer Island and Judkins Park, connecting the East Link Extension to the 1 Line at International District/Chinatown Station.
Riders from the Lynnwood Transit Center can take Line 2 directly to Downtown Bellevue in less than an hour and Downtown Redmond in less than 90 minutes.
The project fulfilled a vision dating back more than four decades. In the 1970s, communities on both sides of Lake Washington agreed to dedicate center lanes of the new Interstate 90 bridge for high-capacity transit. Voters approved the East Link Extension as part of the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure in 2008. Partial segments opened earlier, with the initial Eastside service launching in April 2024 and the extension to downtown Redmond in May 2025. The Crosslake Connection link was completed after the 1 Line reached Federal Way in December 2025 and Lynnwood in August 2024.
The historic floating bridge track posed several engineering feats to make it possible: specialized features included track bridges to compensate for lake motion, allowing speeds up to 55 mph; upgraded cathodic protection against stray electrical current; pontoon post-tensioning with high-strength steel strands; and nearly 9,000 lightweight concrete blocks to manage bridge load.
The East Link Extension project carried a baseline budget of $3.7 billion in 2015 that increased to $3.8 billion. Federal partnerships proved crucial, with the effort receiving $4 billion in grants over the last decade and serving as the largest single user of federal subsidized loan programs that saved local taxpayers money.
At Saturday’s opening ceremony, leaders from across Puget Sound celebrated Crosslake Connection’s significance for connectivity and economy opportunity.
U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a longtime champion of the project, recalled fighting for funding through tough times.
“We are building the best light rail system in the entire United States of America, right here,” Sen. Murray said. “I’ve been fighting for this project every step and every dollar of the way. You know, it is always so incredible to see just how far Washington State is making those federal dollars go. Because with this new connection, you can now take the two line all the way from Redmond to Lynnwood… We are going to be able to ride the world’s first train on a floating bridge, and that is pretty darn cool.”
In her speech, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, celebrated the historic opening of the Crosslake Connection as a major milestone for regional connectivity and economic growth.
“Puget Sound in its economy is larger than the economy of 36 states… And with this expansion and this backbone, we have that future growth,” Sen. Cantwell who took a jab at President Donlad J Trump saying, “Because of President Trump’s illegal war, now we’re paying $5.50 a gallon… but Sound Transit is delivering you with just $3 for a move across the lake.”
Gov. Bob Ferguson at the opening pledge to bring back the Seattle Supersonics, then thanked visionaries, voters and workers for making Crosslake Connection a reality.
“The visionaries, the public, and our workforce. That is the combination, everybody, that makes Washington State great and makes historic days like this … possible. Thanks so much, everybody,” said Gov. Ferguson.
Snohomish County Executive and Sound Transit Board Chair Dave Somers reflected on the rapid pace of recent station openings, and the engineering marvel of running light rail at high speed across Lake Washington — a glacial lake.
“Where else in the world will you be able to go on light rail going 55 miles an hour across a glacial lake with Mount Rainier on one side and Mount Baker on the other side,” Executive Somers stated, “This is a world class, this is unprecedented anywhere in the world.”
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, a lifelong transit rider, said the opening proved big things are possible.
“We have proved that yes, we can do big things,” Wilson said. “And channeled the spirit that we need to meet the challenges ahead of us to deliver the full vision of ST3 that voters were promised.”
Author: Mario Lotmore
