ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland Transit Administration has taken over hundreds of subcontracts to continue the Purple Line’s construction in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
The Washington Post reports that MTA has taken over the subcontracts after the contractor quit over a reported $800 million in unpaid cost overruns.
The spokesman for a consortium of companies managing the project called Purple Line Transit Partners says the project’s contractor finished securing construction sites and began turning over the project to the state on Friday.
It is PLTP’s construction contractor, a joint venture led by Texas-based Fluor, that quit over the cost overruns. Maryland officials say they are continuing to negotiate with PLTP over whether the project’s larger $5.6 billion partnership can be saved.
Maryland Transportation Secretary Gregory Slater said the state “officially took over the day-to-day management” of the 16-mile light-rail project on Sept. 28.
Maryland transit officials say they will decide in the next four to six months whether they will continue managing the project, seek a new construction contractor or procure another public-private partnership if the agreement with PLTP dissolves.