FTA Contact Us Tool Submission Response
From Automated Email Notification <FTA> fta.sqlexecserv@dot.gov
To rkoenigsc
Thu, Mar 6, 2014 4:47 pm
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 your Contact Us Submission on the FTA website. The following is FTA's response to your question.
Answer: Please contact Melissa Barlow from our region 3 office. Her contact information is (202) 219-3565. Thank you,
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?
Unless otherwise specified, this message is being sent by an individual employee in an effort to provide a rapid response to an email inquiry and may not represent official FTA or DOT policy. Individuals seeking formal determinations or opinions are invited to submit their requests in writing to the agency.
Federal Transit Administration
Office of Communications & Congressional Affairs
East Building, 5TH Floor
1200 New Jersey Ave SE
Washington, DC 20590
If you feel that this response does not completely answer your question, please use this link http://ftawebprod.fta.dot.gov/ContactUsTool/Public/VerifyEmail.aspx?Source=Email&SubmissionID=7769 to ask a follow up question within two weeks.
If you have any difficulty accessing the Contact Us Tool, please contact DOT IT Services at 1-866-466-5221.
"If you feel that this response does not completely answer your question..." ... Heck, "Please contact Melissa Barlow from our region 3 office..." doesn't answer my question at all!
Here's my "follow-up" (submitted using the attached link):
"One month after submitting my question, "Please contact Melissa Barlow from our region 3 office..." is a non-answer. Answer the question. You have my name and my email address. If you want Melissa Barlow to answer my question, then you can forward my question to her and she can email me FTA's answer. Time is of the essence. Montgomery County is planning on wasting more federal money on the SSTC by pouring a two inch modified concrete overlay when freezing weather has passed, which is soon. The SSTC's severe cracking is likely caused by the complete lack of expansion joints in the 315 ft. by 580 ft. structure. The overlay won't fix the underlying problem (no expansion joints). The SSTC is a big waste of federal money. Those who are paying for the SSTC deserve the opportunity to have their questions answered and their comments recorded on the public record."
An error message followed:
"An error occurred during the processing of your last request. This could be caused by a system bug or illegal input values. An e-mail with the details of the error has been sent to the system administrator for analysis.
If you experience a problem while accessing or using the Contact Us Tool, or have a question about the operation of the Contact Us Tool, you can contact the Customer Support Center for information or assistance by:
Phone: 5-HELP, (202)-385-4357 or 1-(866)-466-5221"
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