Be alert about Silver Spring Transit Center

http://www.gazette.net/article/20140219/OPINION/140219269/1014/be-alert-about-silver-spring-transit-center

"Now that the election season is well underway we can expect to hear plenty of political talk about the Silver Spring Transit Center — about who is at fault, etc.

Meanwhile the county is in private negotiations with the various contractors, WMATA and other parties regarding fixing that structure’s serious problems.

Citizens need to be alert because in the next few months we might anticipate a deal being reached that could undercut future taxpayers.

No person knows whether the planned fixes will work, meaning fixes that would enable the transit center to last for 50 years. The fixes that have been arrived at have not been technically justified to the public, and have not undergone independent engineering review, unlike the fixes to the San Francisco Bay Bridge problem.

County politicians up for re-election know that the taxpayers will not want to pay for any future failures that may need fixing in the out-years. Those problems are not our fault. Politicians seeking re-election say that won’t happen. The county executive himself has publicly stated that he knows that he needs to have the contractor(s) put up some type of financial assurance to pay for any future problems due to poor construction.

Issue No. 1: How much money is to be set aside in the form of some surety bond? No one knows how much but if citizens see that any bond is for less than $10 million they should be uneasy.

Issue No. 2: How long should these contractors be on the hook? Of course the contractors want to minimize their exposure to a few years. But problems could arise even 10-15 years down the road. This is supposed to be a 50-year structure, after all. Citizens and the press should be upset if a settlement only is good for five or so years.

Issue No. 3: What would trigger an event that would use set-aside funds to fund a downstream fix? Who would represent the county and WMATA? The same people who negotiated a deal? What standards would be used to access a set-aside fund? Will all this be done behind closed doors with a done-deal [to] be handed to the public or will the county lift the veil of secrecy to enable more transparent government?"

Bernard Bloom, Silver Spring


Finally, an article about the Silver Spring Transit Center that tells it like it is! 

"... serious problems ... poor construction ... no person knows whether the planned fixes will work ... fixes that have been arrived at have not been technically justified to the public, and have not undergone independent engineering review... What would trigger an event that would use set-aside funds to fund a downstream fix? Who would represent the county and WMATA? The same people who negotiated a deal? What standards would be used to access a set-aside fund? Will all this be done behind closed doors with a done-deal [to] be handed to the public or will the county lift the veil of secrecy to enable more transparent government? ... a deal being reached that could undercut future taxpayers ..."  

BRAVO! in-depth coverage! probing questions! 
(unlike the rest of the media's coverage of this story)

Well done, Mr. Bloom. Well done, The Gazette.

SSTC: a public-private partnership

http://www.reformandfreedom.org/2012-06-01-03-09-30/latest-news/public-private-partnerships/174-public-private-partnerships-capitalism-or-cronyism

"The 'public-private' concept works in several ways: either government partners with private business to build and maintain public projects, or government invests in private business to foster the growth of certain industries, supposedly for the public good. Rather than stay out of the marketplace, government officials use their influence and authority to grant special favors to their friends and colleagues in the business world. When government officials and business leaders maintain a close relationship for their own financial benefit, as is often the case with public-private partnerships, it is sometimes called “crony capitalism.”

Crony capitalism is marked by favoritism when it comes to handing out legal permits, government grants, business contracts and special tax breaks. Self-serving friendships or familial ties between businessmen and government officials mean anyone not on the “inside” of these relationships is excluded from the process. Because those relationships result in decision-making based on political and social considerations, however, they often go wrong. Public resources that could be used for infrastructure, education or public safety are diverted into business deals that either go belly up, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars, or into seemingly endless projects that only serve to line the pockets of special interests."

The Silver Spring Transit Center is a public-private partnership. If the builder/contractor, the engineer/designer and the concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector for the SSTC had been selected in open competition, then would the result have been the same? Would the public be burdened with a severely flawed, over-budget, overdue SSTC that is undergoing millions of dollars in repairs before it opens?

There is much to be learned about government's role in the severely flawed, over-budget, overdue, $120+ million Silver Spring Transit Center. Will it be? Not from government that rejects open competition for cronyism. Not from media that fail to report "in-depth" and to ask government officials "probing questions". Not with a public that is content to sit quietly by while government wastes the public's money.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." 
Edmund Burke

Update from the FTA

Submission Update - FTA Contact Us Tool 
Fri, Feb 28, 2014 12:26 pm
From  Automated Email Notification <FTA> fta.sqlexecserv@dot.govhide details  
To  rkoenigsc 

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. This is an automatically generated email from FTA's Contact Us Tool. Contact information is located at the end of this message. 

Question: I am a retired civil engineer. My question concerns the Silver Spring Transit Center in Montgomery County, MD. 53% of the funding for the SSTC is being provided by FTA and 11% by MMTA. In March 2013 the County reported that it had contracted with local Washington, D.C. engineering firm KCE to evaluate extensive cracking in the yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center. KCE's report attributes the extensive cracking to errors and omissions by the SSTC's builder/contractor Foulger Pratt, the engineer/designer Parsons Brinkerhoff and the concrete tester/inspector and special quality inspector Balter Co. KCE's report addresses other serious flaws: slabs more than an inch thinner than the 10 inches thick slabs called for in construction documents, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement and other construction, design and inspection and testing flaws. Since release of the KCE report last March, other flaws have been discovered: 250 beams that are under-designed, leaks, etc. The County intends to add a two inch thick latex concrete overlay to the SSTC in spring 2014 after freezing temperatures have passed. Missing from numerous media reports and public statements from Montgomery County officials is an announcement for a public meeting(s) where those paying for the SSTC are given the opportunity to ask County officials our questions and to make our comments for the record. Why? Why hasn’t FTA required public meetings to allow paying citizens to provide their input?

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I'm anxious to get FTA's answer to my question. Pretty soon it'll be Spring when Montgomery County intends to waste more federal money by adding a two inch latex concrete overlay to the SSTC--without public input from those who are paying for the SSTC--including you and me. The overlay won't fix the underlying problem which is extensive concrete cracking caused by a lack of (as in none) expansion joints. Standard construction practice and WMATA criteria (to which the SSTC was supposed to have been designed and constructed) require expansion joints spaced no more than 100 ft. apart. The 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has none. At the very least the FTA should require Montgomery County to hold public hearings so that we, the paying public, can ask our questions and provide our comments on the public record.

I'll keep you posted.

To Tell the Truth

Let's play "To Tell the Truth":

Question: Is the Silver Spring Transit Center safe?
Answer (Montgomery County MD & its paid consultants): Yes
My answer: Let's hear from experts who were not involved in the construction of the SSTC and who are not paid for by Montgomery County.

Question: Why is the SSTC severely flawed (extensive cracking, slabs more than an inch thinner than what they're supposed to be, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, under-designed beams, etc.)?
KCE's (Washington DC engineering firm hired by Montgomery County) answer: because of errors and omissions by the SSTC's builder/contractor, Foulger-Pratt, the SSTC's designer/engineer, Parsons Brinkerhoff, and concrete inspector/tester and special quality consultant, Balter Co.
My answer: ditto

Question: Why did Montgomery County select Parsons Brinkerhoff to design the SSTC, Foulger-Pratt to build it and Balter Co. to inspect and test concrete and to serve as special quality inspector? Were political contributions part of the selection process? Why wasn't the SSTC bid for construction, as has been standard practice for public works projects for decades?
Montgomery County's answer: (silence)
My answer: Only Montgomery County knows for sure.

Question: Relatively speaking, because of its flaws, will the SSTC be expensive to operate and maintain?
WMATA's engineers' answer: yes
My answer: ditto

Question: Will the latex concrete overlay fix the SSTC?
Montgomery County's (and its paid consultants') answer: yes (presumably) 
My answer: No. Lack of expansion joints is likely causing the SSTC to crack. A latex concrete overlay will not address the underlying, fundamental cause for the cracking (no expansion joints).

Question: Will the public pay for repairs to the seriously flawed, over-budget, brand new, yet-to-be-opened SSTC?
Montgomery County's answer: No.
My answer: Montgomery County doesn't know that the public will not end up paying for repairs. Presumably, the courts will ultimately decide who pays for repairs to the seriously flawed, over-budget, brand new, yet-to-be-opened SSTC.

Question: Will we ever know the answers to some of these questions?
My answer: Probably not. By their silence neither Montgomery County, the Federal Transit Administration, the Maryland Mass Transit Administration, the media, nor those who have shelled out $120 million for the seriously flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened SSTC (you, me and citizens from all 50 states) seem to be interested in getting answers to these and other questions. 

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." 
Edmund Burke

WMATA's engineers are right

WMATA's engineers are right to be balking over taking over the operation and maintenance of the Silver Spring Transit Center. There are fundamental flaws with the SSTC that can’t be fixed. One of the biggest flaws is the lack of expansion joints.

Standard construction practice requires expansion joints in structures that are subject to temperature change. WMATA construction standards (to which the SSTC were supposed to have been designed and built) require expansion joints every 100 feet. The 580 ft. by 315 ft. SSTC has none.

An article in Structure Magazine describes why expansion joints are necessary in parking garages:
http://www.structuremag.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/C-StrucDesign-Iqbal-Oct101.pdf
"The purpose of an expansion joint is to reduce build-up of volume change (VC) stresses and the associated structural distress. An expansion joint is considered a necessary evil because omitting an expansion joint where it is needed creates a risk of structural distress."

When unaccommodated by expansion joints, “volume change stresses” caused by temperature changes will result in “associated structural distress”, i.e. the concrete cracks (fails). Sound familiar?

Question: How does one fix the problem of no expansion joints in the SSTC?
Answer: You can’t. The SSTC is “cast in concrete” (the concrete has cured). You can’t go back and retrofit expansion joints into a hardened concrete building.

So, WMATA’s engineers are right:
   1. the SSTC is cracked, and likely will continue to crack, because there are no expansion joints. 
   2. Expansion joints can’t be added to a completed concrete building.  
   3. An after-the-fact, latex concrete overlay won't fix the underlying, fundamental problem (see #1 and #2)

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While my "feedback" was specifically addressed to NBC4 News, it applies to the media in general:

"Yesterday I saw a new television commercial for NBC4 News. Jim Vance says that NBC4 News does “in-depth reporting” and “asks probing questions” (paraphrased). Not so. NBC4, as well as the other media outlets, is failing to provide “in-depth reporting” and to ask “probing questions” on a big story in metro DC—the Silver Spring Transit Center. 

Media have reported that the opening for the brand new SSTC is delayed because of serious flaws (extensive concrete cracking, slabs more than an inch less thick than what they’re supposed to be, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, 250 beams that are under-designed, leaks, etc.). A report commissioned by Montgomery County, MD (which can be downloaded from Montgomery County’s website) attributes the serious flaws to errors and omissions by the SSTC’s builder/contractor Foulger/Pratt, its engineer/designer Parsons Brinkerhoff and the concrete inspection and testing firm, Balter Co. Media have also reported that WMATA is waffling over accepting the SSTC for operation and maintenance (in an agreement with Montgomery County signed before design and construction began) because of the serious construction flaws and WMATA’s concern that these flaws will result in extraordinarily high future operation and maintenance costs. Media have also reported that the $120 million (and counting) SSTC is over budget. Media reported that current repairs cost $10.8 million. 

In-depth reporting? Probing questions? Hardly. Media haven’t asked Montgomery County why they’re proceeding with repairs to the SSTC without public input. Montgomery County continues to press ahead with repairs (including a concrete overlay scheduled for the spring after freezing weather has passed) without holding public hearings to explain to the public what they’re doing and why. Shouldn’t media find it strange that Montgomery County is proceeding with repairs to the brand new, yet-to-be-opened  SSTC without explaining to the public on the record what they’re doing and why, to answer the public’s questions (since the media aren’t) and to take public comments for the record? After all, Montgomery County reports on its website that 53% of the funding for the SSTC are federal funds (Federal Transit Administration), 11% Maryland Mass Transit Administration and 36% Montgomery County. The SSTC is a public facility that we are all paying for. Media haven’t asked Montgomery County whether or not the County feels that it has met its responsibilities to those who are paying for the SSTC. 

There are other obvious questions. Why have these serious flaws only come to light when the SSTC is almost complete? Why weren’t they discovered and addressed sooner, particularly in light of Montgomery County’s construction management team of County employees full time on the project during construction (not to mention periodic inspections by other Montgomery County and WMATA personnel)? Media hasn’t asked Montgomery County why they selected Foulger-Pratt to build the SSTC, Parsons Brinkerhoff to design it or the Balter Co. to inspect and test the concrete and to serve as special quality inspector for the project? Were political contributions part of the selection process? Why wasn’t the SSTC bid for construction, as has been standard practice for public works’ projects for decades? Why hasn’t the Federal Transit Administration required public hearings and an investigation into the possible misuse of federal funds? Why hasn’t the State of Maryland done the same? Is the SSTC safe? Montgomery County and its paid consultants say that it’s safe. Shouldn’t there be an independent (by those who aren't paid for by Montgomery County) investigation and report to the public? We’ll never know the answer to these and other questions as long as the media fails to provide in-depth coverage and to ask probing questions."

Outrageous!

We, the people, should be outraged. 

We paid top dollar ($120 million, and counting) for a brand new, state-of-the-art transit center (more than 50% of the funding are federal funds). In turn, we receive a severely flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center (extensive cracking, slabs more than an inch thinner than called for, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, 250 underdesigned beams, leaks, etc.). 

Do you accept broken goods as new that you pay more than retail for? I don't. I return them. Why should I accept broken goods as brand new? 

If I took a broken, NEW product, that I paid more than retail for, back to the supplier, and the supplier wanted to fix it, completely on the supplier's terms, without my approval, I'd say "not so fast"!. I wouldn't have it. (At the very least, I'd have the supplier state in writing that the supplier is responsible for all repair costs. However, it's supposed to be new; I don't want one that is/was broken.)

Montgomery County marches on with repairs to the severely flawed SSTC without our input. This is outrageous! We paid top dollar for the SSTC. 

Tell your federal government representatives (and your Montgomery County Council representative, if you live in Montgomery County) that you don't want the severely flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center, that you paid more than retail for as new, whether Montgomery County says that it's fixed, or not.

Question for the FTA

New FTA Contact Us Tool Submission  

From  Automated Email Notification <FTA> fta.sqlexecserv@dot.gov
To  rkoenigsc 
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. This is an automatically generated email from FTA's Contact Us Tool. Contact Information is located at the end of this message. Thank you for writing to the Federal Transit Administration. 

Following are the details of your question: I am a retired civil engineer. My question concerns the Silver Spring Transit Center in Montgomery County, MD. 53% of the funding for the SSTC is being provided by FTA and 11% by MMTA. In March 2013 the County reported that it had contracted with local Washington, D.C. engineering firm KCE to evaluate extensive cracking in the yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center. KCE's report attributes the extensive cracking to errors and omissions by the SSTC's builder/contractor Foulger Pratt, the engineer/designer Parsons Brinkerhoff and the concrete tester/inspector and special quality inspector Balter Co. KCE's report addresses other serious flaws: slabs more than an inch thinner than the 10 inches thick slabs called for in construction documents, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement and other construction, design and inspection and testing flaws. Since release of the KCE report last March, other flaws have been discovered: 250 beams that are under-designed, leaks, etc. The County intends to add a two inch thick latex concrete overlay to the SSTC in spring 2014 after freezing temperatures have passed. Missing from numerous media reports and public statements from Montgomery County officials is an announcement for a public meeting(s) where those paying for the SSTC are given the opportunity to ask County officials our questions and to make our comments for the record. Why? Why hasn’t FTA required public meetings to allow paying citizens to provide their input?

Your question is very important to us and will be treated with our full attention. We understand the need to get your question answered quickly, and we strive to do so within two to three business days. However, there may be times when it will take longer for you to receive a response. To speed up the process, we ask that you do not send in multiple messages about the same issue. 

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We deserve better

First, we find out that instead of a brand new, state-of-the-art Silver Spring Transit Center that we're getting a $160 million, over-budget, overdue, seriously flawed Silver Spring Transit Center. It's like paying more than retail for a brand new sports car, and getting this:

Then we find out that Montgomery County MD is proceeding with 450 repairs (cost: $10.8 million) to the yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center without ANY input from US taxpayers who are paying the freight. Despite HUNDREDS of reports in the media with quotes from Montgomery County officials, NONE of these reports or statements mention a public hearing(s) where Montgomery County officials explain to the paying public what they're doing and why, and take the public's questions and comments on the public record. It's an outrage. We're paying for the SSTC (more than half of the funding for the Silver Spring Transit Center are federal funds). We deserve better.

Tell your representatives in Congress (1 House; 2 Senate) that you object to YOUR money being wasted on beat-up wrecks like the Silver Spring Transit Center. Do it today; because, Montgomery County intends to waste more of your money on a 2 inch latex overlay for the severely cracked, yet-to-be-opened SSTC as soon as the weather breaks.

What Montgomery Co. MD doesn't want us to know

Why hasn't Montgomery County MD told us why they selected Foulger Pratt to build the SSTC, Parsons Brinkerhoff to design it and Balter Co. to inspect and test concrete and to serve as special quality inspector for the SSTC? Why haven't the media asked? Could it be because political contributions were a factor in the selections? If so, then it's apparent why Montgomery County won't answer these questions. Are you OK with that? I'm not. I want to know if political contributions were part of the selection process. I deserve to know. After all, I'm paying for the seriously flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened SSTC. So are you. More than half of the funding for the SSTC are federal funds. 

I want to know why my federal tax dollars have been poorly spent on the SSTC. Do you? If so, then contact your government representatives (1 House and 2 Senate in the US Congress; and, your county council representative, if you live in Montgomery County). Tell them that you want Montgomery County to hold a public hearing(s) to explain what they're doing and why, and to take our questions and comments BEFORE any more construction on the seriously flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened SSTC occurs. 

Even though Montgomery County may not want to answer our questions, since we're paying the bills, we deserve answers to our questions, and we deserve that our comments be recorded on the public record.

Montgomery County MD's incredible chutzpah

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/11/silver-spring-transit-center-hit-with-more-structural-issues-more-delays-97141.html

"New records show 450 changes to the original construction, causing repairs worth $10.8 million. Councilman Roger Berliner says despite that sum, everyone agrees they need to build the transit center now and sue one another later."

"...everyone..."? What about me and YOU? Isn't it amazing how Montgomery County can make decisions that involve OUR money without even giving us the opportunity to have our questions answered? Incredible! 

450 repairs that cost $10.8 million vs. 0 public meetings

Talk about CHUTZPAH!