The Crosslake Connection Finally Arrives
A 60-Year Commute to the Train Ends With No Parking
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Photo Source: Sound Transit
It finally happened. After sixty years, five ballot measures, multiple lawsuits, and countless delays, Sound Transit's 2 Line lumbered its way onto Mercer Island on March 28, 2026.
In a move that perfectly captures the Island’s complex relationship with "progress," the grand opening of Line 2 and Mercer Island’s station was a triumph of irony. To celebrate the arrival of a system designed to get people out of their cars, the Park and Ride lot was cleared of cars the night before (to be fair, warning signs were posted in advance). On Saturday morning, would-be riders were turned away because the parking lot was occupied by… a party celebrating the transit center. It was a bold, performance-art statement: The train is here, but you can't park to use it. TOTR looks forward to reporting developments on first/last mile solutions.
Meanwhile, over at the new Judkins Park Station, the ribbon-cutting ceremony featured an A-list political lineup including Senators Murray and Cantwell, Governor Ferguson, an assortment of Mayors, and key players in the historic project. Was the decision to hold the opening ceremony across the lake related to Mercer Island’s previous lawsuits filed against Sound Transit or was it because they were tipped off that there wouldn't be any parking? You decide.
Speaker after speaker stepped to the mic to announce that this is the first light rail in history to cross a floating bridge. At spot 14 in the speaker lineup, former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels summed up the mood perfectly: "We are at the point in the program where everything has already been said, but not by everybody." Surely ChatGPT knew it created the same speech for everyone.
Monty Anderson of the Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council provided a good laugh when he noted, "Sound Transit never asked us to go faster or cut corners." Looking at the project’s multi-year delay, the crowd quietly agreed—nobody has ever accused Sound Transit of being in a "hurry."
Dow Constantine—the sixth CEO to oversee this saga—got the project turned in just in time to get credit. Senator Patty Murray shared the news that the burning question of "When is the train coming to Bellevue?" finally has an answer: "About every eight minutes."
Bellevue Mayor Mo Malakoutian noted that for years, the Eastside’s primary transportation strategy was "leave early and hope." He upgraded the Bellevue-Seattle relationship status to "Officially Connected," ending a long-term partnership previously based entirely on "shared frustration with the I-90/520 corridor." Mercer Island Mayor Dave Rosenbaum used his 30 second time slot to announce a new lawsuit against Sound Transit for having the audacity to connect us to others (ok that’s a joke – forgive me Mayor Rosenbaum but it would have been pretty funny).
The question remains on every Islander’s mind: Is it safe? WSDOT has assured us the bridge is secure. It’s floating on purpose, and will (probably) stay that way. And why wouldn't we trust them? Historically speaking, only 50% of their floating bridges have sunk.
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Mercer Island Light Rail Opening - Part I
