Trains cross the I-90 floating bridge past a fireboat salute on Opening Day of the Crosslake Connection. Photo courtesy of Sound Transit.
There are few moments in the history of the Puget Sound region where you can definitively say there is a before and an after. The opening of the Crosslake Connection is one of those moments.
This opening is not just a project milestone. It is the culmination of the Sound Transit 2 light rail expansion that extended light rail north to Lynnwood, south to Federal Way, and east to Bellevue and Redmond. It’s a powerful reminder that this region can envision big things — and get them done. But it didn’t happen overnight.
In 2008, the picture looked very different. A major Roads and Transit measure had just failed. The economy was collapsing. Light rail had yet to carry a single passenger (it wouldn’t open until 2009). And still, voters said yes. It was a bold, collective leap of faith — and it took years of organizing, advocacy, and persistence to turn into reality.
At Transportation Choices Coalition, we were proud to lead the Mass Transit Now campaign that made Sound Transit 2 possible, and to stay committed through the long arc of work that followed.
See how this moment came together:
The night before the opening of the Crosslake Connection, we hosted a reception in Bellevue to honor those who contributed to the 2008 campaign. They were people like former Seattle Mayor, Greg Nickels, Mass Transit Now’s campaign manager, Andrew Glass-Hastings, campaign field director, Andrés Mantilla, former TCC Executive Director, Rob Johnson, former TCC State Policy Director, Genesee Adkins, and many others.
Past and present staff and board of Transportation Choices Coalition at our reception. Photo by Danny Ngan.
It was wonderful to bring together so many of the people who laid the groundwork for getting light rail to where it is today, together with the people who are carrying this work forward.
The work continues: let’s keep building!
This moment is not the finish line. It’s a milestone, and a reminder of what’s still ahead. We believe every community in Washington deserves high-quality, frequent, reliable, and affordable transit, and we are working alongside partners across the state to help make that vision real.
Right now, that includes:
- Building momentum for our Build the Damn Trains campaign to ensure we keep building Sound Transit 3 projects, including hosting Transit Town Halls with Sound Transit staff and Board Members across the region
- Supporting communities in Tacoma and Pierce County as they work toward a transit measure on the ballot this November
- Partnering with advocates in Spokane on their own ballot initiative
- Advocating for more sustainable transportation funding statewide
Projects like the Crosslake Connection don’t happen overnight. They happen because people stay committed to the vision. Your support helps ensure that Transportation Choices Coalition can continue building the next chapter of safe, sustainable, and equitable transportation for communities across our state.
We built this. Now let’s keep going, together.
