The U.S. Department of Transportation have awarded a $790 million grant and $629.5 million in low-interest loans to Sound Transit’s Federal Way Link light rail extension.
Washington’s congressional delegation announced the grant and loan Monday.
Sound Transit says the funding will allow the agency to start building light rail to Federal Way next year. Demolition and utility work began this fall, and the extension is expected to open in 2024.
When it opens, the 7.8-mile extension will have three stations in Kent/Des Moines, at South 272nd Street, and the Federal Way Transit Center.
Sound Transit also received a $1.2 billion low-interest grant for the Lynnwood Link extension, which was part of a $1.99 billion agreement signed three years ago. The agency says these low-interest loans will save taxpayers between $200 and $300 million over the course of the life of the bonds.