Tunnel contract delays could stall opening

Delays in setting a final contract to build a $1 billion-plus tunnel to the Port of Miami could push back the project’s opening, said Gus Pego, District 6 secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation, which is heading up the project. Pego said that the previously expected 2012 completion is probably unrealistic, and a 2013 deadline is more feasible. In February, the department of transportation selected a consortium dubbed Miami Access Tunnel — a team of international companies — to build, operate and maintain the tunnel. Since then, the department and the group have worked through turbulent financial markets and fluctuating materials costs to iron out an official contract.