Contractor Sues Sound Transit for Rising Costs on Light Rail
Seattle regional transportation authority Sound Transit is being sued for an undisclosed amount of money by contractor Kiewit Pacific over skyrocketing costs associated with its $2.7-billion light rail project. "Kiewit was reluctant to pursue this course but is left with no choice since [the contract] specifies litigation after mediation fails," says company spokesman Kent Grisham. Kiewit Pacific is nearly done building a 156,000-sq-ft train maintenance facility near Seattle and laying roughly 1.6 miles of track on the 15.6-mile Central Link line connecting downtown Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. "Sound Transit and Kiewit tried to work out cost differences during a two-day mediation six months ago," says Ahmad Fazel, Sound Transit�s light-rail director. The company and transit agency came to an agreement on some issues and Sound Transit increased payments to Kiewit by $11 million in change orders. However, Kiewit Pacific wants additional money to cover the rising costs of steel and delays caused by contaminated soil.