In August 2022, Keith Adamek’s Silverstrand Construction Company was given a$ 30 million contract to work on the site for the new Otay Mesa II port of entry.
To build a layer on top of the new border crossing, tons of earth were needed.
Additionally, the project required an underwater wind water system and a drainage system.
However, Adamek claims that the project’s owners hit a snag nearly right away when Caltrans, one of the state’s leading vehicles departments, demanded that all the dirt be completely free of dangerous materials.
” That is almost impossible to find, to include zero, zero, zero percentage in the dirt”, said Adamek. ” It created a six- quarter delay”.
Adamek member Border Report reported that an arrangement was suddenly reached and that they began importing fill to the 90-acre site, but things quickly started to get worse.
We completed a portion of the project, but Caltrans formally canceled our commitment.
Adamek blatantly reproaches Caltrans for altering the work described in their agreement and the layout.
He claims that the organization and other parties have been working on changing the range of the project and have not yet decided what the passing will look like and where it will be exactly.
” It’s a huge detriment to not be able to finish this$ 30 million contract”.
Adamek concerns that the work stoppage and Caltrans’s threat to get someone else to finish the project will upset his business and other people.
Another little firms face significant financial strain because they cannot finish their work, according to the statement.
Adamek and Alex Lopez, Silverstrand’s chief financial officer, say Caltrans is n’t willing to pay for the additional work and materials it has requested.
” All those cost extra money because it was n’t in the contract”, Lopez said.
Both Lopez and Adamek maintain that they tried to reach a bargain, but Caltrans is steadfast about terminating their contracts.
They wo n’t do it, Lopez said, despite our five proposals to try to finish the project, which included all of those changes and including paying for the liquidated damages.
He said if Caltrans chooses another company, it will cost taxpayers a lot more income.
” Before that point, you’re going to have labor rates that go up, material prices that can go up, the change of scope,” according to our rough estimates,” about$ 15 million, that’s$ 6 million more than letting us finish the work,”
Additionally, Lopez and Adamek claim that one of the causes of the delayed construction of the port of entry is their fight with Caltrans.
Adamek remarked,” This task is further behind schedule because Caltrans mishandled our agreement and our taxpayer dollars.”  ,
While the Mexican side is expected to be done by September, when the port of entry was due to begin operations, the U. S. side probably wo n’t be done until 2026.
Caltrans reached up to inquire about the claims made by Adamek and Lopez.
The agency issued the following speech:
Caltrans is unable to comment on pending commitment issues. The reputation of the Otay Mesa East/Mesa De Otay II Port of Entry Project is unrelated to the site planning deal, though. A split contract will be administered for the construction of the national facility when the Federal Government is ready to begin construction.
