Contractors behind the prolonged widening of Fulton Road are firing back at Santa Rosa, claiming the city’s own technical inexperience derailed the multi-million dollar project.
The Press Democrat, in a legal claim notice, Ghilotti Brothers and Vanguard Construction allege that city engineers were unfamiliar with the specialized “roller compacted concrete” chosen for the roadway and mistakenly ordered thousands of perfectly fine, naturally coarse panels to be ripped out.
The firms argue these unnecessary demands caused massive delays and millions in extra costs before the city prematurely terminated their contract last November. Santa Rosa officials previously stated that eighty percent of the panels were defective and needed replacement at the contractors’ expense.
While city spokespeople decline to comment on the pending legal dispute, the contractors are now seeking to recoup withheld payments, repairs, and termination penalties.
