The MBTA has selected GLX Constructors, a team of four rail contractors, as the general contractor that will build the initial phase of the Green Line extension from Lechmere to Medford for $1.08 billion.
If approved by the T's board, GLX Constructors will start the initial construction phase of the Green Line extension as early as next spring.
MBTA managers selected the group based on their low bid for the baseline portion of the work, $954,618,600, and additional features like extra elevators, nicer station designs and a pedestrian path that added to the total.
"We'll execute the contract. Do the job. Build a nice railroad for the MBTA and be successful," Fluor Corporation executive director Max Jordan told reporters after the bid was revealed. Fluor Corporation is the manager partner of the winning group which also includes Balfour Beatty Construction, Herzog Contracting and the Middlesex Corporation.
Jordan says the biggest challenges faced by the team will be the weather, the T's timeframe for construction and building while the Green Line stays in operation.
Representatives of the losing bidder, Green Line Partners joint venture team, said they were not skeptical that GLX Constructors could execute the contract on budget.
"They got a quality team on board and we certainly can't knock who they've chosen," Michael Cote from Green Line Partners said.
"They were aggressive in the pricing and we wish them the best and we really hope they get a good product," Cote said.
The MBTA board could vote to approve the contract as early as Monday. Another billion dollars in federal funds is expected to bring the total price of the railroad to nearly $2.3 billion dollars.
