Add $20M to Sea-Tac light-rail station

After a year of negotiations, Sound Transit has decided to accept a $20 million cost increase on its light-rail station at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The total station cost is now $72 million, plus a $2 million contingency, compared with the original estimate of $52 million. The cost increase was endorsed by Sound Transit's Finance Committee on Thursday and is expected to be approved by the transit board next week.

Last March, Mowat Construction offered the sole bid — at $95 million. Sound Transit rejected the bid, and light-rail director Ahmad Fazel and Mowat moved to cut costs by simplifying the design while Mowat started work on the tracks and the main station shell.

In the redesign, several windows and steel beams have been removed from the roof.

"We had tough issues to work through, the redesign of the truss system, a redesign of glasswork," said Mowat President John Sandstrom. Also, a pedestrian bridge was moved into a different contract, under the Port of Seattle.

Sound Transit chose not to call for new bids because that could take six months, delaying the December 2009 scheduled opening.

Also, in Mowat "we have a known quantity, and a contractor on site who is doing quality work," said transit-board member Fred Butler, of Issaquah.

The station is part of a $2.7 billion, 16-mile corridor that starts in downtown Seattle.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com