Federal Way hearing outlines alternatives, impacts in Sound Transit Tacoma Dome Link Extension draft EIS

Sound Transit staff told the Federal Way City Council on Jan. 21 that the Tacoma Dome Link Extension (TDLE) draft environmental impact statement is published and under public review, and presented four competing alignments through South Federal Way along Interstate 5 and State Route 99 that have differing impacts on wetlands, cultural resources, property displacement and traffic access.

The draft EIS was published Dec. 13, 2024, and the Federal Transit Administration opened an extended public comment period that runs through Feb. 10, 2025, Austin Nielsen, Government and Community Relations, Sound Transit, said. "It is currently forecasted to open in 2035," Nielsen said of the TDLE service date. He summarized the project as about 10 miles from Federal Way downtown to the Tacoma Dome with four new stations at South Federal Way, Fife, Portland Avenue and Tacoma Dome Station, and noted that Fife and South Federal Way stations include 500 stalls of parking under the board's 2021 realignment action.

Council and staff questions focused on three issues: how and when parking and interim access would work if station parking is delayed, how the project will address known highly sensitive cultural resources, and mitigation for wetland impacts and property displacements.

Cathy Leota, TDLE project manager, said "there is no preferred alignment alternative in the South Federal Way area at this point." She described four alignments under study: two that follow I‑5 (a continuous I‑5 alignment and a variant that uses Enchanted Parkway briefly) and two that follow SR‑99 (a 99 West…