Bids for building the Minneapolis portion of the Central Corridor light rail system have come in below expectations because of the tough climate for construction companies.

The Pioneer Press reports that the lowest bid for the Minneapolis portion is $12 million under budget, and the bids for the St. Paul section were $6.9 million lower than expected.

Still, the official budget for the project is $957 million.

The paper says the Met Council is expected today to approve the "$113.8 million bid from a partnership between Ames Construction and C.S. McCrossan, for the Minneapolis portion of the proposed 11-mile line, would include building four stations, linking the Central Corridor to the existing Hiawatha line in downtown Minneapolis, strengthening the Washington Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River and laying tracks for the three westernmost miles of the line, including the portion through the University of Minnesota's East Bank campus."

The other bidders for that portion were: PCL Construction Services at $117.6 million, Graham Construction at $122.3 million, Granite Construction Co. at $127.2 million and Walsh at $130.8 million.