High-Speed Rail Lawsuit Delays Cost $63M, 17 Months

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California high-speed rail officials are signing a $63 million contract extension that also extends the deadline by 17 months for finishing a 29-mile stretch of rail line in the Central Valley.

It comes after landowners who sought to block the project there lost a nearly five-year legal fight that sought to block the project.

They sued to stop financing of the $64 billion project, but a Sacramento County Superior Court judge ruled against them in March.

On Tuesday, rail officials said they signed a new contract with construction vendor Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons.

High-speed rail spokeswoman Lisa Marie Alley says the higher cost was built into a $160 million reserve included in the original budget and will not affect the project's overall budget and schedule.

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