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Commissioners approve settlement over design defect at McCarran

Clark County commissioners on Tuesday approved a settlement over a design defect that cost McCarran International Airport $1.4 million.

The defect was discovered when contractors were building a pedestrian bridge connecting the C and D concourses several years ago. One of the steel beams was 9 inches higher on one side of the walkway.

It took 116 days and $137,000 to fix, Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker told commissioners Tuesday.

The contractor building the bridge charged $16,000 each day during the delay, accumulating a $1.85 million tab.

To make up the nearly $2 million cost, Clark County, which owns and manages the airport, sued the architect, Domingo Cambeiro Corp., in 2009. But the architect only had a $1 million insurance policy, and if the case went to trial, Domingo Cambeiro's trial expenses would have come out of that policy, further reducing the amount the county could collect.

The two sides agreed on a $600,000 settlement last month. That left the airport, which is self-supporting, footing the remaining $1.4 million.

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.

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