Years in and miles to go, the City of Omaha and Metropolitan Utilities District are at odds over a payment plan for an increasingly expensive streetcar project.
The project, now estimated at $421 million, requires significant construction work by MUD to replace or relocate gas and water lines along the 3.2-mile route. The price tag of that work has more than doubled beyond early cost estimates and has added to growing tension between the utility district and city.
MUD seeks a payment plan that will protect ratepayers and the utility district from shouldering a significant increase in streetcar-related construction costs. The city has called for a way to monitor MUD’s streetcar expenses, alleging city staff was blindsided by the cost of the utility district’s first phases of work…