The Metropolitan Council rejected all four bids it received to build the Southwest light-rail line. Bids from four construction partnerships for the 7 km line linking downtown Minneapolis with Eden Prairie ranged from USD 797 million to USD 1.08 billion. All four came in over the available budget, and three of the four were found to be “nonresponsive.”
The Metropolitan Council has to reshape its bid package in coming weeks to fit within its budget. A modified bid package will be advertised in October and awarded next March, with the light rail line now slated to open in 2022 instead of 2021. The move also delays the council’s application for a USD 929 million matching grant from the Federal Transit Administration. And it adds an estimated USD 12 million to USD 16 million in cost to the overall budget.
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