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Officials: Wayne County Jail Is Structurally Sound, Construction To Resume In 2017

DETROIT (WWJ) - Wayne County is expected to finish building the so-called "fail jail" that has been mothballed the past three years.

The unfinished 2,000-bed jail is an eyesore in Detroit, located on Gratiot near I-375 across from the county courthouse. Construction stopped in 2013 because the project was wildly over budget, with cost overruns totaling more than $90 million.

Officials recently carried out a site condition assessment of the construction finished prior to the work stoppage and the county says the report came back clear, showing that the jail site is structurally sound -- giving the project a green light for completion.

"Construction can restart next year," Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said in a statement. "We are doing our due diligence to make the best possible decision for Wayne County and move this project forward. These results strengthen the case for completing the jail and will be included in the information we provide prospective bidders on the project."

The question remains as to what kind of construction will be taking place at the site. County officials have said they plan to complete the jail project, but many have speculated the project will be scrapped in favor of more desirable projects -- such as Dan Gilbert's proposal for a major league soccer stadium.

The assessment of the property covered the entire site, including the jail cell units installed onsite and those stored at an alternative location. It was carried out by Mannik & Smith Group from Oct. 5 to Nov. 4, at a cost not to exceed $43,604. It was the first condition assessment performed by the county on the site since the project was halted in June 2013.

Under the previous administration, an estimated $151 million was spent in construction, acquisition and design of the jail with much of the work at the site completed underground.

The county says the goal is to issue a design-build Request for Proposals (RFP) no later than January. Once the RFP is issued, the county says it will not consider any alternative to the Gratiot site.

"There's been no shortage of speculation about this project, but we're continuing to move forward with the Gratiot site," Evans said. "Once we issue the RFP, we're not looking back. It'll be full speed ahead on the Gratiot site."

Evans has previously said it's his hope to complete the jail, but he noted that nothing is off the table if the price is right.  "I can't cost the taxpayers any more money," he added.

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