Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson) issued this statement following reports that the Southwest Light Rail line will take three extra years and cost hundreds of millions more than expected. 

“Southwest Light Rail is a boondoggle of historic proportions. Words barely capture what a monumental disaster it has been. Now we learn it will take at least three extra years and cost much, much, much more than we thought – plus $210 million to settle a lawsuit with a contractor. And we really have no idea what the final price tag will look like because they can’t, or won’t, tell us. 

“My colleague Senator Scott Dibble and I have talked about his bill to audit the project. You can bet that bill receive an early hearing in the Transportation Committee this year. 

“In the meantime, I echo calls to freeze any funding for Southwest Light Rail until an audit is completed. It is beyond lunacy to consider spending even one more red cent on any more of this nonsense.”