While $ 25 million will go to the emergency fund, the other $ 35 million is needed for utilities, according to a new report going to the Committee on Economic and Economic Development on June 28. An unexpected number of hydroelectric and gas lines had to be transported during construction. “The Stage 2 LRT project requires additional direct funding to support unforeseen project costs that have an overall net benefit to the city’s transportation system, as well as new unscheduled utility costs necessary to complete construction,” the general wrote. transport manager Renée Amilcar and city treasurer Wendy Stephanson. The council approved a $ 4.66 billion budget in 2019 to extend the Confederation Line east to Trim Road and west to Moodie Drive, while leading the Trillium diesel line south to Riverside South and the airport. That included an emergency fund of about 3 percent, or $ 152.5 million, to cover price increases or design improvements, staff explained. None of the three rail extensions has opened yet – the southern and western extensions are thought to be behind their planned openings in 2022 and 2025, respectively – but the emergency fund is just $ 18 million left and that is not enough for the expected cost overruns. City staff explain that many changes have been made since the 2019 contracts were awarded to Kiewit-Eurovia-Vinci and SNC-Lavalin, in order to improve the customer experience. For example, riders will be better protected from the elements at Limebank South Station and there will be more walls to block noise along Highway 174. Meanwhile, the Confederation Line heating switches will now be heated with gas instead of electricity, and a surplus wheel lathe has been installed at the Belfast maintenance yard, both of which were hard lessons after Stage 1 LRT stuck switches. in winter and wheels that developed flat spots. The $ 60 million will be financed mainly through debt, the city staff suggests, noting that any additional funding needs for Stage 2 LRT will be re-evaluated in 2023. The request for more funding comes as a public inquiry into the financial and technical transactions under Stage 1 of the LRT in great detail. The inquiry heard during public hearings that the $ 2.1 billion price tag for the Confederate Line’s original trunk and tunnel was only an early estimate, but that politicians had converted that number into the project’s budget. Staff note in their new report that the Stage 1 emergency budget was $ 115 million, or 5.1 percent of the total, and more than the Stage 2 emergency fund.
