SWLRT Green Line Extension, Minneapolis, MN

SWLRT Green Line Extension

Minneapolis, MN

The Metropolitan Council of Minnesota (Council) awarded a $2B contract to Lunda Construction/CS McCrossan JV (LMJV) to construct the civil portion of the 15-mile extension of the METRO Green Line (SWLRT). The SWLRT will operate on a route from downtown Minneapolis through the communities of St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie. The line will include 16 new stations and will be part of an integrated system of transitways, including connections to the Blue Line, the Northstar Commuter Rail Line, and many bus routes. At Target Field Station in Minneapolis, Green Line Extension trains will continue along the Green Line, providing one-seat rides to the University of Minnesota, State Capitol area, and downtown St. Paul.

TRAUNER is assisting the Council by reviewing LMJV’s critical path method (CPM) project schedule update submissions, evaluating LMJV’s time extension submissions, and formulating and implementing claims evaluation and avoidance strategies.

TRAUNER’s review of LMJV’s monthly CPM schedule update submission involves determining whether the updates comply with the requirements of the contract, addressing allegations of delay in the update narrative, whether the updates forecast an on-time completion of the project’s 10+ contract completion milestones, and, if milestones are delayed, determine the cause of the delay so that the Council can take the appropriate action in a timely manner.

TRAUNER’s evaluation of LMJV’s time extension requests includes determining whether the Time Impact Analysis (TIA) submission complies with both the requirements of the contract and the industry standards and whether the “fragnet” representing the added or changed work is accurate is properly inserted into the project schedule to predict the forecasted delay to the corresponding contract completion milestones.

TRAUNER’s claims avoidance strategies and effort include reviewing and drafting correspondence to ensure that the Council is protecting itself from future delay, disruption, and cumulative impact claims and, potential false claims. From a claims evaluation perspective, TRAUNER is evaluating change order requests and analyzing claims submitted by the LMJV to determine to the party responsible for alleged delays and impacts and whether LMJV is entitled to additional contract time and compensation in accordance with the requirements of the contract and industry standards.