Council approves $60M in additional Stage 2 LRT funding
Posted Jul 6, 2022 10:00:00 PM.
Ottawa city council approved an additional $60 million in funding for Stage 2 of Ottawa's light rail transit (LRT) system on July 6.
A report earlier in early June asked Ottawa city councillors to approve an additional $60 million, $35 million for the utility budget and $25 million for the contingency fund.
For the construction utility budget, the additional funding would address new budget pressures, including costs to relocate hydro and gas mains and escalating construction costs. The additional contingency funds would ensure that there is enough in the budget to cover forecasted unavoidable costs in 2022.
The additional funds would cover changes that were not envisioned when council approved the $4.6 billion project three years ago.
“There were a number of changes we made to the Stage 1 system, and we are looking to apply those changes to all the Stage 2 extensions,” said Michael Morgan, the City of Ottawa's director of rail operations. “By the end of the year, we should have a better sense not only with these final items that need to be closed out but any delays with the project and cost impact from any of those delays.”
He added he is unsure if more funds will be needed in 2023 due to changes from the regulatory agency that are not funded.
