Saturday, February 26, 2000

FWW builders planned better for surprises

---

Contingency fund larger than stadium's

BY TANYA ALBERT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Rebuilding of Fort Washington Way ramps to I-75, looking east. (Tony Jones photos) | ZOOM |

        Fort Washington Way planners say that despite additions and time pressure, project costs are being met by contingency funds.

        Fort Washington Way and the Paul Brown Stadium had the same tight August 2000 deadline and neither had final blueprints when budgets were set.

        Fort Washington Way planners who knew they couldn't meet their deadline if they had to go back to the city for more money put nearly $23.6 million into a contingency fund.

        Paul Brown Stadium planners set aside $8 million.

Narrower trench is on schedule for August opening. | ZOOM |

        The result: While the massive overhaul of Fort Washington Way is still within its original budget, Hamilton County found out last week it needs $35 million to $45 million more than originally planned to build the stadium.

        “The contingency was very minimal compared to the size of the project,” said Dan Streyle, project manager on Paul Brown Stadium. “It was lower than we would have liked ... but we thought we could work with it.”

        Contingencies vary depending on the project; the more problems planners anticipate, the higher the contingency.

        Of the $404 million stadium budget, about 2 percent was for changes or higher costs.

        Of the 146.9 million Fort Washington Way budget, about 16 percent was there to pay for extra signs for detours, higher costs to get steel quick enough to meet the deadline and other unpredicted costs.

        “We knew this was going to be a fast project, so we wanted to make sure we had money in hand so we could deal with problems as they came up,” said Don Gindling, Cincinnati's Fort Washington Way construction manager. The 1-mile downtown expressway is being overhauled in about one-third the time it usually takes to do a project that size.

        Paul Brown Stadium managers had more constraints.

        They had to meet the demands of Hamilton County and the Bengals within the budget they were given and still have a contingency, Mr. Streyle said.

        The lease agreement between the county and the Bengals required a certain number of seats, suites and concession stands, he said. “To fit those in and have contingency, we didn't have a lot of discretion.”

        In the rush to get the stadium done, hundreds of changes to individual contracts were pushed through. The $35 million to $45 million tab was four to five times higher than the $8 million contingency.

        As of Feb. 1, Fort Washington Way project managers had about $10.2 million left in contingency. The $13.4 million spent went to pay for several things, including added costs of contracts and even extra road signs to direct traffic.

        The construction manager; Fort Washington Way board of controls; and Cincinnati's purchasing, finance and city board of controls have to sign off on changes, Mr. Gindling said.

        The price tag attached to Fort Washington Way has more than doubled, but it hasn't been be cause of cost overruns.

        The $146.9 million for the highway is within budget and the project on schedule.

        But the Fort Washington Way project is now $313 million because other projects have been added. While the riverfront is already torn up, the city's other work includes reconstructing the Third Street Viaduct for $31.3 million, building a floodwall for $15.4 million, putting in a combined sewer overflow system for $10.6 million and building a two-tiered Second Street that will serve as a transit center for buses and potentially rail for $45.2 million.

       

---

Zoo chief stepping down after 38 years
Here's what we love/hate about teachers
McCain caravan coming down I-71
FWW builders planned better for surprises
Stadium manager: Deadline can be met
Folks bask in record warmth
Prosecutor looks into agency purchases
11 child sex cases dismissed
Aquarium: No penguin progeny yet
Boone may block hotel tax
Mardi Gras in Covington next weekend
Bedinghaus leads in cash
Bunning endorses Bush
GOP official: Ky. to vote Republican
Librarian sues for Sundays off
Man dies in wrong-way crash on I-75
Mom sentenced for allowing sex
Oak Ridge Boys play at Princeton High
Queen City's moments to shine reflected in book
GET TO IT
Orchestra blooms under Carlos Kalmar's baton
Bowman to head parks
Boy, 2, drowns in pool
City golf courses find competition tough
County courses ready to tee off
Delay may vex school district
Eye tests ensure pupils master A-B-SEEs
Fire levy would allow new hiring
Meeting broke sunshine law
Taft OKs flood help for Adams County
TRISTATE DIGEST