Dive Brief:
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has hired a new manager for the beleaguered 4.7-mile, $2.3 billion Green Line extension project, The Boston Globe reported.
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John Dalton, who previously worked as a manager for the Chicago Transit Authority and has also supervised billions of dollars in transportation projects in the U.S. and Dubai, will operate as an independent contractor under a five-year term and answer directly to MBTA Acting General Manager Brian Shortsleeve.
- News of Dalton's addition to the Green Line team is expected to strike the right chord with the Federal Transit Administration, which has demanded that the MBTA prove it can successfully complete the project before it provides $1 billion in funding.
Dive Insight:
Dalton's know-how around issues related to federal funding should come in handy as the MBTA tries to demonstrate to the FTA that the revised Green Line plan is viable.
The project has been stalled ever since the MBTA fired the original contracting team — the joint venture of White-Skanska-Kiewit — amid claims of mismanagement, persistent delays and nearly $1 billion in cost overruns. At the time of its decision to let the contracting team go, some MBTA officials accused the joint venture of taking advantage of the maximum price contract arrangement. A third-party inquiry found that MBTA mismanagement played a significant role in the debacle.
After regrouping, the MBTA decided to scrap parts of the original rail plan — about $620 million worth — and go with a "scaled down" version, which it said should cost approximately $2.3 billion. The MBTA announced that the new system would comprise two new branches, seven stations and potentially a vehicle storage and maintenance facility.
The agency also said that the design-build contract process would take about 18 months, with construction lasting approximately four years. Last month, the MBTA put out a pre-bid call for interested contractors.
