PORT ANGELES — There may be a light at the end of the tunnel for completion of The Gateway project.
Terry Weed, Clallam Transit general manager, said on Thursday that a final report from Krei Architecture on the cause of cracking in a foundation wall — which has delayed completion of the downtown project — is expected soon.
Glenn Cutler, Port Angeles public works director, said another report on the same issue from Berger/Abam Engineers Inc. should be completed today.
The next step would be to determine the appropriate fix, but that depends on whether the city of Port Angeles and Clallam Transit are satisfied with the information provided by Krei and Berger/Abam.
The cracking is located underneath a concrete beam in a parking area underneath The Gateway’s pavilion.
The project is budgeted by the city and Clallam Transit at $14.7 million. They received $8.1 million in state and federal grants for The Gateway.
Although cracking in concrete is common, in this case it represents more than a cosmetic issue, said Steve Sperr, city engineer.
“It’s more than cosmetic; it’s a structural issue,” he said.
Completion of The Gateway — which includes a transit center, parking garage, pavilion and police substation — located at the Front and Lincoln streets and Railroad Avenue, has been on hold since the cracking was found in September.
The city has delayed the completion of the project because it is concerned that the pavilion may not be able to hold a second pour of concrete on the plaza floor in the pavilion.
Pouring the concrete, which will allow for better water drainage, is the largest part of the project that still needs to be done.
Although there has been no final determination on the cause of the cracking, Sperr said it is most likely the result of a fault in its design or in instructions for its construction.
“It doesn’t appear to be an error in Primo [Construction],” he said.
Cutler declined to say whether or not the city, as the project manager, could be liable for structural issues.
“I’m not saying yes; I’m not saying no,” he said.
“I don’t want to speculate.”
Weed said a fix may require additional structural support, but the pavilion itself will not need to be replaced.
“It’s not a drastic fix,” he said.
Cutler said the stability of the pavilion hasn’t changed.
“Physically, it has not changed that I am aware of,” he said.
Weed said the second pour of concrete shouldn’t take more than a week — once Primo is given the go-ahead by the city and Clallam Transit — but that is dependent upon weather conditions.
Costs
Costs have yet to be determined for the delay.
In November, city Finance Director Yvonne Ziomkowski said the project had exceeded its initial cost estimate of $13.8 million, but remained within budget.
Weed said he couldn’t say if the project will be over budget until the cost of the delay is tallied.
Primo ran out of working days in its contract with Clallam Transit in mid-November, and Krei has been working under extensions to its contract since August that doesn’t include additional cost.
Krei’s $412,728 contract was extended in August for an additional $90,960.
Weed said Primo will need to be compensated, and that cost will be determined when they can complete the project.
But, he said, covering that cost will not be the responsibility of Clallam Transit because its $500,000 contribution and grant funds for the project have been spent.
Because of that, in accord with the two public entities’ interlocal agreement, Weed said, the city will cover any additional costs for The Gateway.
That would include Berger/Abam’s work agreement with Clallam Transit attorney Craig Miller.
Weed said other work that needs to be done at The Gateway includes installing hand rails, bus shelters and signs.
Bush shelters will be installed by Clallam Transit before The Gateway is open, he said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
