Costs for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs replacement hospital in Aurora, Colo., have ballooned to $1.73 billion, more than five times the project’s original cost and twice the spending cap set for it by Congress. VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson delivered the bad news about revised cost estimates to congressional leaders in March 17 phone call.
The new price tag, up sharply up from the $800 million claimed by the VA in early March, comes from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is advising VA on the project. USACE will assume full management of the project this summer. The project was originally estimated at $328 million.