CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The next leg of Interstate 485, a 5.5-mile stretch between N.C. 16 in northwest Charlotte and Interstate 77 north, was supposed to be finished one year ago, but it isn't anywhere close to being ready.

“I believe that they should have the job complete by the end of the calendar year and open to traffic,” said Rick Baucom of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Baucom, the engineer overseeing the project for the NCDOT, showed Eyewitness News his copy of the contract that the department signed with the builder, a company called Tidewater-Skanska. As part of the $94 million deal, Skanska agreed to start work on Dec. 1, 2003, and have it done in 1,200 days, which would have been March 14, 2007.

Eyewitness News asked the NCDOT what the company is citing for the delay.

“The contractor has already filed a claim for time extension based on delays in the department getting right-of-way for the project,” Baucom said.

In other words, Baucom said, it’s blaming the NCDOT.

“I'd definitely say that's fair,” Baucom said. “We've definitely had some delays due to right-of-way and utilities.”

But Baucom and the NCDOT aren't taking all of the blame.

When it signed that contract, Skanska agreed to pay fines, called liquidated damages, of $10,000 for every day they're late finishing the job. Starting with March 14, 2007, that’s 361 days -- amounting to $3.61 million in fines and counting.

But not only is Skanska saying it shouldn't have to pay those fines, in a 2006 letter to the state it says the NCDOT actually owes them millions of dollars in bonuses.

The company has asked for $8.5 million, including a $1 million bonus for finishing the job on time.

Drew Saunders, a state representative from the part of north Mecklenburg County where I-485 will be, has been pushing the project for years and says patience, among other things, is running thing.

“So, yes, I've been there and the level of frustration is very high,” he said.

Eyewitness News spoke with the project manager for Skanska in Charlotte. He referred us to his boss at their corporate offices in Virginia. Eyewitness News left several messages and hasn't heard back.

But Skanska is now telling the NCDOT that they hope to have the job finished by the end of this year, more than a year and a half late.

Meanwhile, the NCDOT has said no to the extra money requested by Skanska, but did give them credit for 138 days due to delays by the NCDOT.

RELATED STORY: Completion Date For I-485 Pushed Back

MAP: Previous I-485 Completion Dates