Rep. Coffman Feels 'Sticker Shock,' Learns VA Hospital Will Be $1 Billion Over Budget
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - The already over-budget Aurora VA Hospital is going to cost more than $1 billion over the projected cost.
On Tuesday the deputy secretary of the Veterans Administration said the new estimate on the project is close to $2 billion.
There is currently an $880 million cap on the project, which construction crews are expected to reach next month.
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Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman of Aurora has introduced legislation that will increase that cap.
"I'm shocked -- really -- the cost overruns are going to be over a billion dollars, projected by the Army Corps of Engineers who is taking over the project from the VA," Coffman told CBS4. "Sticker shock."
Coffman says mistakes have been made, but it would be worse for our veterans if the hospital is not built.