With an estimated 24 percent population growth in Federal Way by 2040, Sound Transit is calling on Federal Wayans to comment on Sound Transit 3 – a ballot measure that will fund several transit projects if approved by voters in the November general election.

The $1.44 billion Federal Way Link Extension could be among those projects, as it was identified, along with several others, as a good candidate for funding by the Sound Transit Board in December 2015. Extending light rail from the Federal Way Transit Center to Tacoma, with four possible stations, is also on the project list.

The board released their Sound Transit 3 draft system plan in March and is expected to make a decision on which projects will be funded under the measure in June, when it releases the final plan.

But if citizens want a chance to provide input on the Federal Way Link Extension’s inclusion, they have until April 29, when the public comment period ends, to do so.

To help answer questions, Sound Transit will host an open house with a presentation on Sound Transit 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, at Todd Beamer High School, located at 35999 16th Ave. S. in Federal Way.

Finding money for light rail from SeaTac to Federal Way has been of high importance for some time.

In 2008, voters passed Sound Transit 2, which included funding for light rail from Angle Lake Station in SeaTac to South 272nd Street, the northern part of the Federal Way Link Extension. But in 2010, the Great Recession cut the project by about 2.5 miles. Light rail from Angle Lake Station to South 240th Street in Kent/Des Moines is expected to be complete and open for service in 2023.

Potential funding from Sound Transit 3 could fund the rest of the project, which will extend light rail along Interstate 5 from South 240th Street to the Federal Way Transit Center.

Although $5.9 million from Sound Transit 2 was recently allotted to the project, it doesn’t compare to the $48.8 million the board approved for the work that went into the environmental impact statement and the preliminary engineering phase of the project.

While expensive, the Federal Way Link Extension isn’t the only project vying for a spot on Sound Transit 3’s list. Sound Transit is looking to extend light rail in Redmond, from Ballard to Downtown Seattle, Downtown Seattle to West Seattle, Lynnwood to Everett, Bellevue to Issaquah, and in Tacoma, among other places. There are also several bus rapid transit projects that could be funded with Sound Transit 3 monies. These include bus rapid transit on Interstate 405, between Northeast 145th Street and State Route 522, and rapid transit between Ballard and West Seattle.

For a complete list of projects, visit http://soundtransit3.org.

For more information on the Federal Way Link Extension, visit www.soundtransit.org/Projects-and-Plans/Federal-Way-Link-Extension