Honolulu rail contractor Ansaldo wants compensation for construction delay

The contractor installing the driverless operating system for Honolulu’s 20-mile rail project has filed a “mega-substantial” claim with the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation seeking compensation for construction delays on the project.

The claim by Ansaldo Honolulu Joint Venture was filed about 18 months ago, but the contractor might now have extra leverage to get HART to finally resolve the dispute. The rail authority needs Ansaldo’s cooperation to move forward with a public-private partnership to complete the last five miles of the rail project through the city center, HART officials said.

HART Executive Director Andrew Robbins declined to say how much money Ansaldo is seeking because a settlement in the dispute is still being negotiated, but HART board member Ember Shinn described it as a “mega-substantial” amount.

Robbins said money to resolve the claim was included in the rail project’s latest $9 billion budget, but he declined to say how much money was set aside because that would tip the city’s hand during negotiations with the company.

Read more: http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/09/07/hawaii-news/ansaldo-wants-compensation-for-delay/?HSA=76a63fafc1f98ca7f18c96ccf018f62b9bbb2024