- 1993: Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority is formed, as authorized by the Legislature, to plan high-capacity transit in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.
- 1996: Voters approve Sound Move on the second try, authorizing sales and car-tab taxes. Sound Transit promises light rail from downtown Seattle to SeaTac to the south and the University of Washington to the north within a decade.
- 2000-01: Political support wavers because of a $1 billion overrun in UW tunnel costs and a harsh report by congressional investigators. U.S. Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Bellevue, criticizes light rail as failing to solve congestion, while GOP members of Congress threaten to withhold funds…