Legal News

Irvine says playing find-the-conduit delayed multimillion-dollar roadway project

By Richard Binder

The city of Irvine has filed a lawsuit against AT&T California and Cox Communications, alleging that the utilities relocated a conduit without informing city officials, delaying a $50 million roadway construction project.

In 2002 the city informed the utilities, according to the complaint, that the conduit would need to be moved. Plans were submitted to the city in 2004, but the city alleges that new plans were drawn up without the city's knowledge, and so when work began on the Jeffrey Road construction area workers could not locate the conduit via AT&T's markings. 

The conduit was eventually found in an area where a pylon for a planned railroad and pedestrian bridge was slated to go, according to the complaint. This forced a redesign of the project, putting it at least a year behind scheduled completion and resulting in "significant" additional construction costs, says the city.

Full story here.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on May 18, 2010 (boomark / email).