Builder of Colorado's VA hospital says cost exceeds $1 billion

The builder of Colorado's troubled Veterans Affairs hospital says overruns bring the cost above $1 billion, far higher than the red ink already acknowledged, and has asked for the right to quit the project. The dispute threatens further delays in a replacement project discussed since the late 1990s. Kiewit-Turner told a federal board it must stop working until the VA redesigns its hospital to fit the budget, or until it finds more money from Congress. The builder's complaint said bungled designs and mismanagement add up to twice the size of a $200 million overrun discussed in January.