Broome County will have to borrow an extra $1.7 million for cost overruns at its now-$14 million Greater Binghamton Transportation Center on Chenango Street in Binghamton.
Broome County legislators are expected to vote on bonding for the cost overruns when they meet June 17.
The most costly issue for the new bus station was the discovery of three previously undiscovered fuel tanks buried at the site, said Broome County Deputy Executive Patrick Brennan. Digging up and disposing of the fuel tanks and the surrounding soil added $542,000 to the project, Brennan said.
The tanks predated the bus station -- serving gas and fuel facilities located on Chenango Street in the first half of the 1900s, Brennan said.
Planners also failed to account for inflation in construction costs since 2004, when the plans were drawn, county documents indicate. Construction inflation increased 31.1 percent from 2004 to 2009, documents show.
Other unanticipated costs include additional archaeological surveys required at the site, along with the relocation of utility cables on Prospect Avenue.
With the cost overruns, the county's share jumped from $1.3 million to $2.9 million, Brennan said.
Federal grants are paying for $9.9 million of the total cost. New York is funding $1.2 million, Brennan said.
The project has been plagued with delays since it was considered in 2004, including eminent domain proceedings on one of the four buildings that were torn down to make way for the new transportation center.
Greyhound and Coach USA are scheduled to move into the facility at the end of July, Brennan said.
BC Transit, the county's public bus system, is expected to move its hub to the facility from temporary quarters on Hawley Street by the end of August, the deputy county executive said.
