Statement on Valley Line Southeast LRT Project Update

This morning, City Council was informed that there are structural issues on several elevated piers on the Valley Line Southeast LRT. This is a significant safety concern and clearly corrective work is required before the LRT can resume testing and open to the public. Hearing this news is deeply disappointing. At this time, there has not been a new date presented for when it is expected the LRT will open. TransEd has indicated that their next steps are determining the scope of the repair work. 

TransEd is a private company that was awarded the contract for the project’s design, build, and quality control and assurance, and this company is FULLY responsible for the repair work and costs - meaning no tax dollars will go towards the repair. In a press conference earlier today, TransEd’s CEO confirmed this.

As unfortunate as this delay is, I absolutely agree that we cannot open the LRT until there is complete certainty on the public’s safety. I’m also relieved to hear that the costs are not the responsibility of tax payers. 

Moving forward, the City needs to prevent this from happening on any other LRT projects and I’ll be sure to focus on the nuances of public/private partnerships.