contingency money

Extensions to UW, Northgate, Angle Lake and Bellevue have been built under the final budgets, which leaves contingency money leftover for future projects.

Construction costs for the Central Valley segment will jump $330 million and officials are budgeting an extra $1 billion in contingency money, bringing the total cost to $13.8 billion.

Opponents say taxpayer money is being wasted, while rail advocates say federal grants will make up much of the difference and the contingency money may never be spent.

The FTA said Sound Transit was low-balling inflation risk and should add more contingency money into its local budget.

The contingency money, critics of the Trump plan say, is an important backstop.