Post by numble on Sept 5, 2018 11:18:16 GMT -8
If the federal DOT does not give a letter of no prejudice to Metro by October 3, the already-awarded tunneling contract for the Purple Line Extension Segment 3 will expire and have to be re-bid, which would delay the project and may increase costs by up to $200 million:
www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-purple-line-trump-20180905-story.html
www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-purple-line-trump-20180905-story.html
Earlier this year, Metro selected a contractor to dig the tunnels for the third and final section of the subway line between Century City and West Los Angeles, near the Veterans Affairs Hospital. However, the work cannot begin until the Federal Transit Administration sends a letter verifying that if Metro spends its own $492 million to expedite the work, the federal government will reimburse the money under a future grant, which Metro is widely expected to receive.
But the clock is ticking. The construction bid expires Oct. 3. If Metro doesn’t get the funding commitment by then, the agency will have to rebid the contract. That could delay the project by nearly two years and increase the cost by $200 million, Metro officials say.
So far, they say the Federal Transit Administration has been helpful. With less than a month to go, L.A. leaders say they remain hopeful they’ll get through the approval process in time to avoid having to rebid the construction contract.
But it is not out of the question that the Trump administration could put the brakes on this critical piece of funding for the project, as part of a larger assault on public transit construction nationwide.
Last month, the advocacy group Transportation for America released a report showing that the Federal Transit Administration is sitting on nearly $2 billion that Congress budgeted over the last two years for public transit projects across the country. The group accuses the agency of dragging its feet on distributing the money.
But the clock is ticking. The construction bid expires Oct. 3. If Metro doesn’t get the funding commitment by then, the agency will have to rebid the contract. That could delay the project by nearly two years and increase the cost by $200 million, Metro officials say.
So far, they say the Federal Transit Administration has been helpful. With less than a month to go, L.A. leaders say they remain hopeful they’ll get through the approval process in time to avoid having to rebid the construction contract.
But it is not out of the question that the Trump administration could put the brakes on this critical piece of funding for the project, as part of a larger assault on public transit construction nationwide.
Last month, the advocacy group Transportation for America released a report showing that the Federal Transit Administration is sitting on nearly $2 billion that Congress budgeted over the last two years for public transit projects across the country. The group accuses the agency of dragging its feet on distributing the money.