Skywalk opening delayed

Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008 | 2:06 a.m.

Every so often a government agency in the Las Vegas Valley experiences cost overruns and construction delays while attempting to open a new building. The disputes usually get settled, but not without plenty of finger-pointing among the agency, contractor and design architect. Sometimes litigation is involved.

McCarran International Airport is going through that finger-pointing phase now in connection with a planned skywalk connecting the B and C concourses. As reported by Brian Eckhouse in the Las Vegas Sun on Monday, the construction costs of the bridge and a companion security checkpoint project rose 10 percent from an original budget of $65.4 million to $72 million.

The architectural costs of the bridge rose 72 percent from $1.66 million to $2.86 million. The bridge is expected to open more than a year behind schedule.

What is ironic is that the airport is run by the county’s aviation director, Randall Walker, who was brought in years ago to oversee construction of the downtown Regional Justice Center after that county project — beset by construction delays, cost overruns and lawsuits — became the worst public building debacle in recent valley history. Walker was brought in because of his experience and solid reputation with large construction projects.

Now he’s facing a miniature version of the courthouse project at McCarran. What remains unsettled is the share of blame, if any, that should be assigned to the airport, contractor Flagship Construction and architect Domingo Cambeiro.

What is clear is that the project costs more than originally planned and will not open on time. Common sense would dictate that the best way to get a construction job completed on time and within budget is for the client, the builder and the designer to communicate with one another on a regular basis to ensure that everyone is on the same page. That obviously did not happen in this case, and that is unacceptable — again.