The St. Louis Metro transit agency and the Cross County Collaborative — the original developers of Metro’s bond-financed, eight-mile rail expansion project — last week announced they had reached a $6 million settlement that will be paid to the CCC, which had sought to recoup $28 million in legal fees and other costs related to a lawsuit brought by Metro.
Metro had sued the CCC, arguing that it was to blame for some design flaws in the project that contributed to more than $100 million in cost overruns. The transit agency had hoped to recoup about $80 million from the group, but the litigation ended late last fall with a verdict in favor of the developers.
Metro head Larry Salci resigned as a result and the St. Louis County Council decided to postpone plans for a Feb. 5 ballot measure seeking voter approval for a sales tax increase to general new operating and capital funds for Metro.