Arizona Light-Rail Project Features New Bonus System
A $1.4-billion, 20-mile Phoenix-area light-rail project includes a new type of mitigation measure: citizen committees that oversee contractor bonuses. Contractors have experienced varying degrees of success, receiving from 100% to 70% of $2.5 million in available bonuses.
Five 15-citizen advisory boards oversee each contract section of the 28-station, at-grade Metro rail line, which runs through Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa, Ariz. As of May 1, the project was 62% complete, with 128,000 ft of guideway and 16 stations. HDR Inc., Omaha, with Phoenix-based subsidiary S.R. Beard & Associates LLC and Parsons Brinkerhoff, New York City, are the program managers. Metro is within budget and scheduled to finish by December 2008.