Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine received a $30,000 bonus and a three-year contract after the board voted 16-0 on Thursday, Sept. 24.
The bonus was tied directly to the March 28 opening of the 2 Line between Bellevue and Seattle, the world's only passenger train on a floating bridge. The board originally awarded the $30,000 in December 2025 after giving Constantine an "outstanding" performance rating, but Constantine asked to defer the payment until trains actually crossed Lake Washington. That 18-year engineering project's completion unlocked the money.
The new contract also raises Constantine's salary from $474,276 to $490,086 for the year beginning Jan. 1, 2027, as first reported by the Seattle Times. The contract itself takes effect Oct. 1 and runs through Dec. 31, 2029, with two one-year renewal options, according to Motion M2026-36.
"CEO Constantine has brought much-needed stability to Sound Transit," Board Chair Dave Somers said. "This is not the time to lose momentum."
Somers announced his intention to negotiate a new contract on Sept. 3. The board held a lengthy closed-door session before the vote. Somers said no board member found fault with Constantine's performance.
Pay details
A 4% cost-of-living adjustment on April 1, 2027, will bring Constantine's pay to $509,689. Starting in 2028, he can earn annual raises of 3% to 6% based on performance ratings.
The contract includes a $36,000 annual taxable expense allowance and 45 paid time off days per year, plus a one-time accrual of 20 additional PTO days. Sound Transit will also contribute 12% of his base salary to a 401(a) retirement account and the maximum allowable amount to a 457(b) deferred compensation account.
If terminated without cause before Dec. 31, 2031, Constantine would receive 18 months of severance pay and benefits. That is up from the 12-month severance in his prior contract.
Record ridership, service disruptions
Constantine was hired on April 1, 2025, after more than 15 years as King County executive and four years as Sound Transit board chair. Under his watch, the agency carried a record 309,000 riders on July 6 during a USA-Belgium World Cup soccer match. Average daily ridership has climbed to 166,000 passengers.
The tenure has not been without problems. Two sheared bolts caused a derailment of an empty train on Aug. 2, closing downtown Seattle stations. A northbound stall near Roosevelt Station on Sept. 6 after the Apple Cup football game forced fans to evacuate and blocked trains for two hours.
The agency also faces environmental scrutiny. The 2 Line's cross-lake tracks are suspected of electrocuting about 2,000 fish, including endangered Chinook salmon, after electric-current control wires mistakenly touched the lake bottom. Constantine waited four weeks to disclose the problem publicly, according to the Seattle Times. Somers said the delay did not affect Constantine's performance rating, saying the CEO informed the board promptly but wanted a better grasp of the situation before going public.
What's ahead
Constantine and the board face a $35 billion long-term funding gap that has pushed a planned Seattle Center-to-Ballard light rail segment into the 2040s or 2050s. Next steps include final environmental studies for a Lynnwood-to-Everett line and soil studies for a high-rise bridge over the Duwamish River as part of a West Seattle extension.
The contract details were posted by Sound Transit just one day before the Sept. 24 vote, leaving a minimal window for public comment.
