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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has agreed to pay nearly $300 million more to the contractor of the 405 Freeway widening project, capping a years-long dispute over responsibility for schedule delays, design changes and cost overruns.

Construction crews demolish the old Mulholland Bridge over the 405 Freeway, which was closed to traffic in both directions during "Carmageddon" in 2012. (Credit: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Construction crews demolish the old Mulholland Bridge over the 405 Freeway, which was closed to traffic in both directions during “Carmageddon” in 2012. (Credit: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

The settlement will push the cost of the controversial Sepulveda Pass project above $1.6 billion, about 55% higher than the original budget.

The $297.8-million agreement follows years of disagreements between Kiewit Corp. and Metro over how the freeway widening was managed. Kiewit has said in legal filings that Metro’s repeated changes to the project’s design and failure to identify and relocate utilities added significantly to delays.

The 10-mile northbound carpool lane through the Sepulveda Pass opened more than a year behind schedule. Its construction caused five years of traffic headaches on one of the nation’s most congested corridors.

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