Seattle’s Sound Transit released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that will shape upcoming decisions on the alignment of the voter-approved light rail line between Northgate and Lynnwood along the Interstate 5 corridor.

The 8.5-mile Lynnwood Link light rail extension is estimated to carry 60,000 to 70,000 riders each weekday through one of the most congested travel corridors in the region. It is scheduled to open in 2023.

Lynnwood Link will connect to the light rail segment currently under construction between Husky Stadium and Northgate scheduled to open in 2021 and bring light rail to Snohomish County for the first time.

Lynnwood Link is the northernmost of the more than 30 miles of Sound Transit 2 light rail extensions approved by voters in 2008. By 2023 Sound Transit is also scheduled to open an eastward extension to Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond’s Overlake area and a southward extension to the Kent/DesMoines area. By 2030 Link is expected to carry more than 80 million riders annually.

Publication of the DEIS kicks off the public comment period on the routes and station alternatives to inform the Sound Transit Board as it prepares to identify a preferred alternative later this year. The DEIS public comment period closes Sept. 23, 2013.