Federal Way’s downtown landscape is changing faster than your future trips on the incoming light rail.

The Federal Way Link Extension is a 7.8-mile project connecting Sound Transit’s light rail route from Angle Lake in SeaTac to Kent, Federal Way and beyond. Three additional light rail stations are being built along Kent/Des Moines Road, S. 272nd Street, and near the Federal Way Transit Center.

Estimated to be fully completed in 2024, the Federal Way Link Extension may see upwards of 29,000 daily riders by 2026, according to Sound Transit.

The three stations add 3,200 additional parking spaces combined for transit users and commuters.

Federal Way’s incoming station, located along S. 320th Street and 23rd Avenue South, will feature station artwork designed by Catherine Widgery, garage artwork created by Christine Nguyen and plaza artwork by Donald Lipski.

Station artist Widgery, from Cambridge, Mass., has been creating public art displays for over 30 years.

With the light rail station, her goal is to fill the space with subtle color and reflections to accentuate the height and rhythms of the architecture, said Ashley Long, public art project manager for Sound Transit Art (STArt) program said.

A “cathedral-like feeling” is created by dichroic glass fins attached to window mullions and arch over the three-story canopy. The installation will change throughout the day and night depending on the light conditions, Long said of the future station.

Christine Nguyen, from Denver, Colo., is designing screening concepts for the parking garage on the west side of the building facing Town Square Park. Her design is centered on Federal Way’s views of Mount Rainier and highlights the area’s natural elements.

Donald Lipski, from New York, was selected to create a landmark sculpture for the pedestrian plaza. His over 30-year career is noted for “whimsical” sculptures, working with a studio that has made exhibits for the Smithsonian and New York’s Museum of Natural History for the creation of the Federal Way sculpture. Lipski developed a concept that he hopes will “contribute to way-finding, bring viewers a sense of joy, and become a focal point to what will surely become a new town center,” Long said.

Sound Transit will expand light rail to the U-District, Roosevelt and Northgate in the fall.

In 2022, Tacoma Link will expand to the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma. In 2023, trains will reach Mercer Island, Bellevue and the Overlake area.

In addition to the Federal Way Link Extension, 2024 will bring the opening of extensions to Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood and Downtown Redmond.

Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. is the design-build contractor for the $3.1 billion project, which is funded in part by a $790 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration and a $629.5 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation.