The Silver Spring Transit Center is simply unacceptable

The Silver Spring Transit Center is simply unacceptable.

• Construction (Foulger Pratt) and construction management (Montgomery County) 

The SSTC’s serious flaws (severe cracking, slabs thinner than they’re supposed to be, total lack of expansion/contraction joints, watered-down concrete, concrete exposed to freezing temperatures during curing, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, etc.) are unacceptable. The SSTC is not indicative of the construction and the construction management industry’s typical work on public works projects. The SSTC’s serious flaws violate the normal standard of care for both construction and construction management. 

• Engineering design (Parsons Brinkerhoff)

The SSTC’s under-designed beams and total lack of expansion/contraction joints violate the normal standard of care for design of a public structure that carries fully loaded buses and is exposed to temperature changes. The SSTC is not indicative of the engineering design community’s typical work on public works projects.

• Concrete inspection and testing (Balter Co,)

Suspect concrete test reports showing the same values for multiple samples, 37% more water than called for added to the concrete mix (as determined by in situ testing), slabs poured without reinforcement, exposed reinforcement, freshly poured concrete unprotected from freezing temperatures, etc. violate the normal standard of care for concrete inspection and testing. The SSTC is not indicative of the concrete inspection and testing industry’s typical work on public works projects.

• Cost 

Cost for the SSTC is $120+ million, and rising. $10+ million have been spent on repairs before the SSTC has even opened. Because of its numerous construction and design flaws, even a repaired SSTC will be expensive to operate and maintain. The public expect a brand new, unflawed transit center, not a severely flawed one. The public should demand their money back.

• Metro patrons

Metro patrons pay for the SSTC (construction, repairs, operation and maintenance costs) through user fees. Metro patrons should not have to bear repair and increased construction, operation and maintenance costs for the severely flawed SSTC. These costs would not have occurred with a brand new, unflawed transit center that Metro patrons expect.

• Taxpayers

Taxpayers from Montgomery County, the State of Maryland and 49 other states are paying for the SSTC. Funding for the SSTC is 53% federal, 11% state and 36% county. It’s unacceptable that Montgomery County, the Maryland Transit Administration and the Federal Transit Administration have proceeded with repairs to the SSTC without public input. Having to pay for the SSTC without being briefed on why Montgomery County is proceeding with repairs to the yet-to-be-opened SSTC, and without having the opportunity to ask our questions and make our comments on the public record, is simply unacceptable.

The severely flawed, yet-to-be-opened, $120+ million SSTC is simply unacceptable. The public should demand their money back.