‘Not the right fit’: Washington State Convention Center team announces split

One of Seattle's most anticipated projects has hit a snag. The Washington State Convention Center expansion team announced it ended its "relationship" with Skanska-Hunt, the general contractor and construction manager selected last year to build the proposed expansion. "We've worked with the contractor for more than six months and have determined they are not the right fit for this project," said Matt Griffin, managing partner at Pine Street Group L.L.C., the development manager for the project. "We will extend the schematic design process and then restart the contractor selection process to find the best fit and value for WSCC's investment." Related: Ominous gray building in Everett quickly transforming The news came as a bit of a shock to the contractor, who, in a statement, said it was "tremendously disappointing," the Puget Sound Business Journal reports. In a statement, Skanska said the contractor has worked in a "professional manner." Despite the separation, the convention center team does not expect the overall schedule to be "materially affected." Construction on the expansion is scheduled for 2017. It is expected to open by 2020. The expansion will roughly double the space of the current convention center, adding about 1.2 million square feet of space. The site will fill about four city blocks between Howell and Pine streets, and Boren and 9th avenues. The expansion will sit adjacent to I-5. The building will "take advantage of the exposure created by the I-5 canyon and site topography to create a meaningful addition to the Downtown skyline." The project is estimated to cost $1.4 billion.