The State - News from April 11, 1985

Restoration of San Francisco’s famous cable cars is $5.5 million over budget and still unfinished, despite the city’s claims last summer to the contrary, according to the man in charge of the project. Lynn Pio, manager of the rehabilitation effort, confirmed published reports that parts of the 67-block-long network are breaking down faster than expected and that a system of cable car traffic signals has not worked correctly. But he denied that the cars are unsafe, as claimed by unidentified employees quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle. Pio said the project, originally budgeted at $58.2 million and already costing $63.7 million, “definitely” will cost more yet because of current problems, but he couldn’t say how much