![]() The auditor determined the delays and increases in building costs are due to uncertainty about whether freight rail lines would be relocated. That leaves an estimated $535 million that’s unfunded. The rest of the funding is being supplied by cities and the state of Minnesota. The federal government is currently funding $969 million of the project and Hennepin County has committed $772 million, with an additional $200 million from the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority. The legislative auditor found that about $225 million of the additional costs were approved by the Metropolitan Council in April and include a previously deferred station in Eden Prairie, a longer concrete barrier between freight rail and light rail lines and problems with construction of the tunnel through Minneapolis’ Kenilworth Corridor. Since 2011, the cost to build the 14.5 mile extension of the Metro Green Line has more than doubled to $2.74 billion. … There’s no way to affect the direction or the decision-making of this entity because it’s so far removed from the public.The Southwest Corridor light rail project between Minneapolis and the southwestern suburbs has been wracked by delays and cost overruns that have led to a shortfall of more than $500 million, according to a report released Friday by the state Office of the Legislative Auditor. “It defended everything that they do and how they do it. “We can rail at the Met Council, but the Met Council is very predictable,” Dibble said. Both advocate making it an elected body to make it more accountable. Frank Hornstein, whose districts include the Kenilworth corridor and the condos, backed up the auditors’ complaints about trouble getting information from the council. Zelle got a skeptical reception when he appeared before the Legislative Audit Commission as it reviewed the report. He wrote that the data in the report shows the project is “more cost-effective per track mile than other projects of varying size.” The chairman also disputed the auditor’s conclusion that cost overruns have been “far greater” than those experienced by most comparable major projects nationwide. He wrote in a formal response that the report “minimizes the Met Council’s transparency and accountability to our funding partners.” Legislative Auditor Judy Randall and her staff recommended several improvements, including that the Legislature require the council to also bear some responsibility for cost overruns, since it is overseeing the light-rail construction.Ĭharles Zelle, who chairs the council, agreed with that recommendation, but pushed back against much of the report. The office is also conducting a financial audit of the project. The auditor plans to release a second evaluation this spring that focuses on the council’s oversight of contractors and its processes for controlling costs. The evaluation released Wednesday focused on decision-making by the unelected Metropolitan Council, whose 17 board members are appointed by the governor. It only fueled bipartisan criticism of the project. The report is unlikely to make that job easier. The council has not determined where it will get the additional $650 million to $750 million it needs to complete the line and put it into service. “The Council did not have enough funds to finish the project, and it also did not have enough funds to halt the project,” the report said. By early 2022, the council’s obligations exceeded the funds it had committed to the project. The council now estimates that the line won’t start running until 2027 and that costs will reach nearly $2.8 billion, making it one of the most expensive public works projects in Minnesota history.Įven before construction started, the Federal Transit Administration raised concerns about the council’s ability to cover unexpected cost overruns, the report said. In a sharply critical report, the nonpartisan auditor’s office also said the Twin Cities regional governing agency has not been fully transparent about the snowballing costs and delays on the project.īack before construction started in 2019, the Met Council estimated the 14.5-mile extension of the Green Line from downtown Minneapolis to suburban Eden Prairie would cost just over $2 billion and open in 2023. The Metropolitan Council put itself on the hook for huge cost overruns on the Southwest Light Rail Transit project even through it didn’t have the money, and it failed to develop a contingency plan to find the funding, the Office of the Legislative Auditor said Wednesday.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |