Lift station project progresses as lawsuit looms large

The total amount spent on the long-delayed Lift Station 87 sewer project has reached $37 million, with another $5 million still planned for the final leg of the project over the next several years.

That keeps the project in line with its planned $42 million budget and on track for completion in late 2020 — but those targets are still major overruns and delays after restarting the project from a nearly $10 million “false start” under a different contractor five years ago.

Last week the City Commission unanimously approved almost $3.1 million for engineering services related to managing the next $21.1 million phase of the project, which is set to begin next month and includes the construction of the new lift station building and pump systems in Luke Wood Park.

It follows the successful completion this year of the highly technical microtunneling to take the station’s wastewater lines that serve one-third of the city deep under Hudson Bayou.