On March 28 Sound Transit will open the long‑delayed Crosslake Connection, allowing Link light rail to run across Lake Washington on the Homer M. Hadley (I‑90) floating bridge for the first time.
This stretch stitches together the last major gap in the 2 Line, creating a continuous route from Redmond to Lynnwood and directly linking with the 1 Line at International District/Chinatown. For many commuters and transit planners, it’s the moment a two‑decades‑old promise becomes real.
What riders will see (and how often)
The new segment adds two stations — Mercer Island and Judkins Park — and about 7.4 miles of track. With the Crosslake Connection in service, Sound Transit’s light rail network grows into the low‑60s in miles and roughly 50 open stations regionwide.
Sound Transit says trains will generally operate from roughly 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday–Saturday and 6 a.m. to midnight on Sundays. During peak periods the 1 and 2 Lines will each aim for about eight‑minute headways; where both lines overlap between Lynnwood and International District/Chinatown, that translates to roughly a four‑minute frequency — a meaningful capacity boost on the system’s busiest stretch.
Travel time estimates published during planning put Downtown Bellevue to the International District at about 20–24 minutes; expect timetable details to firm up as Sound Transit publishes schedules ahead of opening. For planning and trip reminders, station arrival info in phone maps will help — and new navigation tools like Google Maps’ Gemini copilot are starting to make getting to trains and through transfers easier.
A technical first and a bumpy road to the finish
Running light rail on a floating bridge is unprecedented. Engineers adapted the center express lanes of the 1980s‑era I‑90 bridge — a piece of foresight that paid off — and built specialized concrete plinths and trackwork that can tolerate the bridge’s motions.
But the novelty came with trouble. Construction defects discovered in 2022 — particularly problems with cast‑in‑place plinths carrying the rails — forced rework, added cost and pushed the opening well past the original 2023 target. The delays and budget overruns have fed ongoing debate about how Sound Transit funds future projects; nevertheless, agency leaders call March 28 a generational milestone.Sound Transit officials and regional elected leaders stressed that the extra time was taken to make sure the crossing was safe and reliable.
How the rollout will work
Before the March 28 public opening, Sound Transit will run a period of simulated service starting in February. During this phase test trains will run the full 2 Line to validate operations and train crews; passengers will be allowed on short segments (for instance between Downtown Redmond and South Bellevue, and between International District/Chinatown and Lynnwood City Center) but will not be permitted to ride across the lake until official launch. Simulated service should also add trains on busy downtown segments, easing crowding ahead of the ribbon cutting.
The agency has said it will release more opening‑day details — including celebration plans and any special timetables — as the date approaches.
What this changes for riders and the region
- Direct east–west rail service: No more forced transfers across the lake for many trips between Seattle and Bellevue/Redmond. That simple convenience changes daily commute choices for thousands.
- Capacity surge through downtown: Combined 1/2 Line service reduces crowding between downtown and northern suburbs by shortening waits and doubling train frequency on the corridor’s busiest blocks.
- Event support and resilience: The timing, ahead of major summer events (including World Cup matches in Seattle), gives transit a bigger role keeping cars off the road during spikes in demand. It also provides another reliable alternative when highway work or incidents squeeze vehicle lanes.
Local leaders have emphasized land‑use consequences as well: Bellevue and Redmond are already planning denser housing and jobs around stations to leverage the rail investment.
Still‑lingering questions
Sound Transit has increasingly faced scrutiny over cost management and project schedules. The East Link/Crosslake saga is part engineering novelty, part long construction program, and part political pressure over agency budgets. Riders will also be watching how reliably elevators and escalators perform at the new stations; recent openings elsewhere in the system exposed some accessibility device hiccups that the agency must avoid repeating.
Operationally, a key detail for riders will be train lengths and how car counts are managed during peak hours. If shorter trains appear in service, clear station displays announcing train length will matter — no one wants to wait at the wrong spot on a long platform.
Technology, travel and the everyday commute
The opening is coming at a time when digital trip planning is changing how people move. As AI features roll into navigation and inbox tools — for example, the broader rollout of Gemini‑powered research in Google Workspace and similar copilots — commuters will have more ways to time trips, coordinate transfers and plan for events or delays. Expect transit apps and city systems to lean into those capabilities as part of the launch ecosystem.
Sound Transit’s Crosslake Connection is not just an engineering headline; it’s a practical change for people who live and work on both sides of Lake Washington. For many, the new service will turn a multi‑step drive or a bus link into a single, predictable ride. For planners and politicians, it’s proof that complicated, controversial investments can still be completed — even if they take longer and cost more than anyone hoped.
If you’re planning to ride on opening day, check schedules and service advisories at Sound Transit and give yourself a little extra time: this is the sort of transit milestone that will bring out curious riders, celebrants and journalists alike.