The companies building the $2 billion Purple Line in suburban Maryland intend to leave the job over extensive delays and cost overruns that they say the state hasn’t agreed to cover.
Purple Line Transit Constructors — a partnership of Fluor, Lane Construction Corp. and Traylor Bros Inc. — informed the consortium behind the 16.2-mile light rail line of its “efficient and orderly transition” from the project, which is expected to take 60 to 90 days, according to a release.
“We did not make this decision lightly and did everything we could to work with MDOT/MTA to attempt to come to an agreeable framework for us to complete the project,” Scott Risley, PLTC project director, said in the release, referring to the Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland Transit Administration.
In a statement, the state’s transportation agencies said the Purple Line has experienced delays “in conjunction with litigation” since 2016 and have been “actively engaged in discussions to mitigate the impacts of litigation and change order requests on both the project schedule and costs.”
“While MDOT MTA cannot comment further until a settlement agreement is reached, we remain committed to continuing negotiations and focused on getting this key transit project completed and operational for the taxpayers of Maryland,” the statement reads.
Just last month, the consortium notified the state that it needed an additional $187.7 million and five extra months to complete its work. The contractor said that specific cost was tied to a required “crash wall” between the Purple Line and CSX freight tracks along one part of the line, but it was not the first unexpected cost, or delay, for the project.