Santa Clara County Executive Jeff Smith has found construction contractor Turner Construction in default by $300 million on the Santa Clara Valley Medial Center campus construction. Smith also said Turner may be terminated for not keeping its promise to safely complete the facility on time after the project has falling over two years behind its scheduled opening and a near-death explosion last September caused safety concerns.
The county also claims Turner Construction has failed to respond to a county audit demanding new safety protocols after last September's incident. The contractor claims the county caused delays with hundreds of sudden change orders and thousands of requests for clarifications and changes to design.
The original project, slated to open September 19, 2015, was contracted at about $291 million. Work records show Turner requested an additional $66 million and then another $9 million. Documents show the county agreed to extend the completion deadline by more than a year and agreed to other change orders as well. However, Smith says it could take another two to three years to make up time and complete the project.
