Fort Lauderdale — Construction Costs Rise

February 2016

The sun-sentinel.com site reports that the cost of building the modern streetcar line at Fort Lauderdale on Florida's east coast now has risen by $53 million over the original estimate for the project. Though ground has not yet been broken on the project, the estimated costs have risen.

Completion of The Wave, as the streetcar project is known, will now not be complete until 2020.

Construction of the 2.7-mile line connecting Sistrunk Boulevard and Southeast 17th Street running on or near Andrews Avenue have increased from the originally projected $142 million cost to a new total of $195.3 million. The shortfall compared to funds available for the line is $22.6 million. Ft. Lauderadle is being asked to provide an additional $5.59 million and Broward County is being solicited for $4.58 million more. The Downtown Development Authority is also being asked to contribute $1 million more. The balance would comve from the Florida State Department of Transportation.

The source of the cost increases is inflation for construction materials plus increases in scope of the project. One such increase is the agreement the city made in 2014 to build a loop at Flagler Village at a cost of $75. million. Another is the agreement by the county to spend $5.8 million for an improved supervisory control system for the line.

The State DOT is planning to take over the project from the commuter rail operator, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority. FTA approval of this shift will be necessary. The DOT will also take over planning for planned extensions to the line to the airport, convention cener, and Port Everglades.

Officials seem confident tht the extra costs will be covered, keeping the project alive.