By RICHARD PEARSALL
Courier-Post Staff

Two Burlington County legislators on Wednesday called for the state to investigate the contractor building the South Jersey Light Rail Line.

Assemblymen Jack Conners, D-Pennsauken, and Assemblyman Herb Conaway, D-Burlington City, said the idea for the investigation comes from Massachusetts.

A special panel there has been looking into cost overruns on the so-called "Big Dig," construction of a highway tunnel beneath the city of Boston.

The Boston Globe reported Wednesday that the panel is planning to sue the Bechtel Corp. to recover "tens of millions" in overruns on the $14.6 billion project.

Bechtel is the principal partner in the consortium that is building the South Jersey Light Rail Line.

That consortium, South Jersey Rail Group, filed a suit against NJTransit last year, contending it is entitled to more than $100 million above the $453 million contract it signed to build the 34-mile, Camden-to-Trenton line.

Delays and changes made by NJTransit added substantially to the project's cost, the consortium contends.

With interest, land acquisition, preliminary design and other costs, the bill for building the line is expected to exceed $1 billion.

The two sides are trying to negotiate a settlement of Bechtel's claims.

Also under way is an investigation into the origins of the line being conducted by the state Attorney General's Office.

The administration of Gov. James E. McGreevey launched that investigation a year ago.