Design flaw discovered in subway wiring
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A design flaw in wiring and cable being installed in the North Shore Connector will cost about $1.2 million to fix but will not delay the project or add to its budget, Port Authority officials said today.
During ongoing construction the authority discovered that insulation used in wiring and cable being installed in the subway extension did not meet requirements of the National Fire Protection Association, said Winston Simmonds, the authority's rail operations/engineering officer.
Ripping out the inadequate material and installing cable that meets code requirements will require a $1.2 million increase in the authority's contract with Wellington Power Corp., a 31 percent change. An authority committee approved the increase this morning.
Mr. Simmonds said specifications prepared by the project designer, AECOM, were faulty. The authority has notified the company of its intention to recover the costs stemming from the mistake, and the company has in turn notified its insurance carrier.
Authority counsel Michael Cetra said he expected an "amicable" resolution of the matter.
For now, the added cost will be covered by contingency funds already budgeted for the $528.8 million connector project, Mr. Simmonds said. The project, which extends the Downtown subway to the North Shore, remains on track for a March 2012 opening, he said.
"This is a surprise but it's not unusual in construction," he said.
"Thank goodness our people caught it early," authority CEO Steve Bland said.
First Published May 19, 2010 11:25 am
