Link light rail is now trending to open for service on Mercer Island and begin zooming across the Interstate 90 floating bridge to Seattle in early 2026, according to Sound Transit.

Sound Transit’s previous target for the regional connection was December of 2025, and it explained in a May 20 update on its site that the reason for the delay is “based on our rate of progress over the last few months, the time needed to address some remaining construction issues, and the need to protect more time in our schedule for testing, training, and simulated service.”

Following the May 10 opening of the 2 Line extension to downtown Redmond, there are now two of 12 stations remaining to open for service and connect light rail across Lake Washington: Mercer Island and Judkins Park in Seattle.

The first in a series of tests to connect East King County to Seattle occurred on May 21 when Sound Transit pushed a test train across the I-90 bridge from Mercer Island to Seattle.

King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci discussed the initial test in a press release: “This is a truly historic moment. This is a project many of us have fought for and dreamed of for decades. Today’s testing shows just how close we are to a dramatic expansion of our public transit system and it represents a significant engineering achievement, too. I’m so proud to see many years of effort becoming a tangible outcome that will positively impact the lives of thousands of King County residents and visitors.”

The Mercer Island Station will be one of the segments of the 14-mile East Link Extension Project. The MI Station platform level distance is marked at 380 linear feet between the 77th Avenue Southeast entrance and the 80th Avenue Southeast entrance. Users will descend 27-foot staircases to the rail platform as reported in a Reporter tour on May 1, 2023.

Due to issues that arose in 2022 with the cast-in-place concrete plinths that support the tracks, the original projected East Link opening of mid-2023 was delayed, according to a previous Reporter story. The construction challenges also caused delays in the opening of the Lynnwood, Federal Way and Downtown Redmond Link Extension routes.

According to Sound Transit, “This floating bridge segment represents one of the most challenging and unique aspects of this complex mega-project, which will be the first in the world to run light rail across a floating bridge.”

On the construction front, one complex technical issue that crews are working on is replacing some connectors in the rail installation realm.

Regarding the robust project and its commitment to getting things right, Sound Transit noted: “Our priority is making sure every bit of new service we open meets the quality, frequency, and reliability standards you deserve from Day 1.”

A previous Reporter story noted that the city of Mercer Island’s recent Town Center projects are or have been concentrated on crosswalks, sidewalk construction, ADA-accessible curb ramps, street lighting, traffic signals and parking. The improvements are focused on helping pedestrians get to and from the light rail station safely and more efficiently throughout the Town Center.