Fired contractor takes Metro Vancouver to court over troubled sewage plant
The suit states that by mid-2021 the company had recalculated a realistic estimate of 2025 to complete the project, at the cost of $1 billion, due to the district’s “wrongful conduct,” the site being “unsuitable” for construction and “the emergence of project risks not contemplated” at the time of the original agreement.It alleges Metro Vancouver insisted the work be completed by 2023, “which was, to the knowledge of the physically impossible.
The company is also claiming that Metro Vancouver wrongfully withheld a $95 million payment for work the company had completed to reach a project milestone. Acciona is asking the court for that $95 million, along with an estimated $200 million for what it says was wrongful termination of its contract.
When completed, the facility located at 1311 West 1st Street will serve North and West Vancouver, along with the Squamish Nation, replacing the ageing 1961 facility currently located beneath the Lions Gate Bridge. When planning for the wastewater treatment plan began more than a decade ago, it was initially estimated to cost $400 million.Metro Vancouver has since hired a new contractor to finish work on the project, however an estimated final cost and completion date remain unclear.