The West Seattle-Ballard Link Extension proposes burying light rail in a second downtown tunnel — at $2.8 billion per mile, the most expensive light rail project in human history. The current tunnel runs trains at 9–13 mph due to tight curves and short stop spacing. The new tunnel would replicate the same inefficiencies at eight times the cost per mile of Paris’s new fully driverless metro.

ST3’s budget has ballooned from $54B to an estimated $90–100B — a $34.5 billion shortfall that has board members discussing cutting the Ballard or Issaquah extensions (or both) entirely. Meanwhile, Seattle’s downtown lacks the vibrant public realm that defines the world’s great cities. Zürich, Amsterdam, and Paris have chosen differently. When Sydney pedestrianized George Street alongside new light rail, it attracted $35B in private investment within five years. Building at any cost puts the long-term viability of our entire transit system at risk. Many of the world’s most storied networks, including New York’s subway, spent decades in disrepair when budget crises made basic maintenance unaffordable. We cannot overextend now and leave a system future riders cannot afford to keep running. The window to change course is closing now.