The Federal Way Link Extension is one step closer to becoming a reality.

The Sound Transit Board of Directors recently chose the project to receive $5.9 million from Sound Transit 2, a 2008 voter-approved ballot measure that initially slated funds for part of the project but was impacted by a $4.2 billion loss after the Great Recession.

“This funding is the fruition of hard work, collaboration and promises kept,” said King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer, who represents Federal Way on the council, in a letter to Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell. “… This was not just a matter of dollars and cents, but rather providing Federal Way with what it deserved.”

In February 2012, von Reichbauer said he promised the city of Federal Way that if additional money came to Sound Transit, his goal was to “put Federal Way at the front of the line.”

“Once again council member Pete von Reichbauer came through for Federal Way,” Ferrell said. “We cannot underestimate the importance of getting the cost of preliminary engineering to bring light rail to Federal Way. This will be paid for under its original intent through ST2. Bringing light rail to our community is a major investment in the improvement of transportation infrastructure benefiting South King County and will positively impact Federal Way businesses and workers for many years to come.”

The new funds will pay for the link’s preliminary engineering, agency administration, third-party agreements and right-of-way acquisition for the unfunded portion of light rail – from South 240th Street in Kent/Des Moines to the Federal Way Transit Center. Sound Transit spokeswoman Kimberly Reason noted right-of-way acquisition won’t occur until after the environmental review is complete.

Light rail from SeaTac’s Angle Lake Station on South 200th Street (set to open this year) to South 240th Street in Kent/Des Moines is already funded for construction. That portion of the project is expected to be open for service in 2023.

In addition to funding that phase of the Federal Way Link Extension, the board also funded preliminary engineering to the Redmond Link extensions for a total of $24 million.

“Extending light rail to Federal Way and downtown Redmond has remained a top priority for Sound Transit,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and King County Executive Dow Constantine in an announcement. “Restoring funding for the next phase of project design brings us another step closer to connecting more people to our growing regional mass transit system.”

Before the recession hit, the Federal Way Link Extension was supposed to receive funding from Sound Transit 2 for the construction of light rail from Angle Lake Station to South 272nd Street. A “realignment process” in 2010 cut funding for the route to South 240th Street, about 2.5 miles.

Last summer, the Sound Transit Board identified a preferred route for the Federal Way Link Extension. That route is an Interstate 5 alignment versus a State Route 99 (Pacific Highway South) alignment or a variation of the two. The latter cost $350 million more.

The board has already approved $48.8 million for the environmental impact statement and preliminary engineering phase of the project. The Sound Transit 2 finance plan includes an additional $400 million for construction, right-of-way acquisition and final design of the estimated $1.44 billion Federal Way Link Extension.

The rest of the project’s funding is yet to be determined.

“Funding for construction to the Federal Way Transit Center is a candidate project being considered for potential inclusion in the Sound Transit 3 measure that would go to voters this fall,” Reason wrote in an email. “The Sound Transit Board hasn’t determined yet which projects among the candidate projects list will be included in the measure; those decisions will be made this summer following public meetings that will take place throughout the region this spring.”

The board will select multiple candidate projects in March, with public meetings in April. Reason said they will then choose those projects for Sound Transit 3 by the end of June.

The final environmental impact statement for the Federal Way Link Extension is expected to be published by the end of this year.

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