By
Seattle Times staff reporter
Last summer, an Eastside starter line looked like a straightforward solution to light-rail construction delays.
Sound Transit could open eight stations by spring 2024 to whisk riders across Bellevue, until contractors rebuild miles of flawed track ties across Lake Washington to complete a full connection to Seattle.
But a Bellevue-first timetable would delay four stations’ mid-2024 openings on the Lynnwood extension by at least three months, Kimberly Farley, the agency’s deputy CEO, reported this winter. Thousands of riders north of Seattle would see finished tracks they can’t ride yet.