Modern Transit Constructors, a JV of S A Healy Co/Impregilio Group/Hochtief/Parsons Transportation Group/Robinson Construction, has been chosen as contractor elect to design and build the 7.2km long, twin bore Central Light Rail tunnel in Seattle.
The finalised contract is expected to be awarded in October or November this year and although Modern Transit has been selected, the client, Sound Transit, is keeping its options open, telling T&TI, " The next step in the process is for Sound Transit to negotiate with the team on the details of the construction methodology and approach, and costs for completing the project. Should those negotiations prove unsuccessful, Sound Transit could enter negotiations with the other proposing team, Puget Link Construction." Puget Link Construction is a JV of Traylor Brothers/JF Shea/Frontier-Kemper Constructors and is one of three consortia who entered the request for qualification. The third JV, Obayashi/Atkinson, pulled out of the running reportedly saying the project had too short a schedule and was too complex.
Details of the contract have so far been shrouded in secrecy, with Sound Transit insisting that details of both proposals remain confidential until negotiations are complete. This is in keeping with federal and state guidelines and the Federal Transit Administrators best business practices for design and build procurements.
Sound Transit’s executive director, Bob White said: "Maintaining confidentiality is essential to assuring a successful and legal negotiation for the best contract for the region and for the taxpayers." He continued, " If costs or technical information should leak out during negotiations it would violate the legally prescribed negotiations process, and we could have to go back to square one and start the process all over again at great expense."
The project has not run smoothly to date. Originally designed as a two contract tunnelling scheme, Sound Transit courted controvery last year by scrapping the request for qualification and re-organising the scheme as a single construction contract. The move sparked rumour that the client was unhappy with the original submissions (Dec ’99). A new transportation funding initiative in the US looks set to throw the project into more turbulent times if approved. The Associate General Contractors’ local branch is barracking for 90% of transportation funds to be spent on road projects. This would effectively pull the $3.9m available to the light rail programme.
