Watt Light Rail Interchange Cost Increases $82K

More than a year after its completion, the massive renovations to the Watt Avenue light rail interchange will cost Sacramento County nearly $82,000 more than originally anticipated, the county's board of supervisors approved this week.

According to a staff report, the increases cover "daily extra work billings," a second mockup accent wall, asphalt reinforcement at the southwest corner of Watt Avenue and Folsom Boulevard and transporting unused rock bed. See the attached PDF file for more information.

The changes bring the total cost of the project, which is funded by federal funds, county sales taxes and Sacramento Regional Transit, to $11.5 million.

This isn't the first time the cost of this project has risen. The original cost was to be $10.5 million, but $936,000 in previous change orders pushed the price higher.

The contractor, Viking Construction Company, Inc., built a bridge for the light rail track, relocated the previous station platforms and performed other miscellaneous work, the staff report states.