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North Shore Connector Construction Costs Rising

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Jul 23, 2007 10:22 pm US/Eastern

North Shore Connector Construction Costs Rising

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Just a few months into the construction of the North Shore Connector and cost overruns are already plaguing the Port Authority and raising some eyebrows among government officials.

The work on the North Shore near PNC Park is in preparation for the machine that will bore a hole underneath the Allegheny River.

However, the soil it will pass through some affected by the residue left from glaciers centuries before is not of the consistency experts expected.

"As a result of the glacial deposits that are below the river deposits," says Henry Nutbrown, Port Authority's Engineer Director, "the glacial deposits are more open and graded texture and is requiring more cement to fill those voids."

But the bottom line is that the Port Authority may have to spend nearly half of a $9 million contractor contingency budget already.

When the original subway was built in the early 1980s, a number of cost overruns were picked up by the federal government because delays in federal payments helped caused those overruns.

This time, though, Port Authority won't get that help.

"The Port Authority has already in the very early stages come in over budget," says Representative Jason Altmire. "It's outrageous and we're not going to just pour more federal money into this right from the start."

Officials with the Port Authority say even though the contractor contingency is just $9 million, the overall contingency for the whole project is $19 million.

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