Silver Spring Transit Center: more questions

http://www.actfortransit.org/purple_transit_center.html

• April 7, 2010 - County building inspector George Mavroumatis asks whether design will cause concrete to crack at edge of bus deck. (KCE attachments, vol. 2, p. 84.)
• May 11, 2010 - Design engineer (Parsons Brinckerhoff) says cracking is not expected, but concrete contractors should be consulted before proceeding. (pp. 80, 83)
• June 3, 2010 - Concrete contractor says transit center's unique design means that past experience is no guide to cracking at edge of deck; county must rely on analysis by PB. (p. 77)
• August 2010 - Concrete pouring begins.
• Oct. 28, 2010 - Cracks seen at edge of concrete deck. (KCE attachments, vol. 2, p. 76)
• November 2010 - Workers report to county and Metro that concrete is too thin.
• Nov. 16, 2010 - County says construction is “still on track” and transit center will open in October 2011.

More questions: 
1. Why didn't Montgomery County halt construction in October/November 2010 until the cracking problem was satisfactorily addressed?

2. Why instead did Montgomery County report that construction was "on track"?

Mr. Mavroumatis raised the cracking issue in April 2010--MORE THAN FOUR YEARS AGO!!! Congratulations, Mr. Mavroumatis! Good catch! It's good to know that someone is "on the ball" at Montgomery County--too bad that no one else is.

• July 12, 2012 - ACT calls on the County Council to hold a community meeting so that the public can learn the facts about transit center delays.
• Jan. 9, 2013 - On the first anniversary of the public revelation of the concrete problem, ACT renews its call for a public meeting to air the facts.

3. Why hasn't Montgomery County held public meetings to explain the delays and to allow the public to ask their questions and to make their comments on the public record?

This is an outrage! The public, US (53%), MD (11%) and Montgomery County (36%), are "paying through the nose" for this lemon! The public asks (TWICE!) for a public meeting and Montgomery County IGNORES the request and just keeps pressing ahead with this lemon! This is OUTRAGEOUS!

• April 9, 2013 - County announces how it will try to fix Transit Center, based on KCE remedy approach. PB and Foulger-Pratt will do work, leaving arguments about who pays for later. Balter (county oversight contractor) has not yet agreed to participate.
• April 12, 2013 - WMATA tells county it will not accept ownership of the transit center, even after proposed fixes.
• July 9, 2013 - County says replacement of concrete “pour strips” built without steel reinforcement will start within a week and remaining repairs will be permitted by end of month.
• July 16, 2013 - WMATA, county argue about pour strip repairs.
• Sept. 6, 2013 - Pour strip fix under way. County, PB propose covering remainder of decks with latex-cement.
• Sept. 10, 2013 - Foulger-Pratt says latex-cement won't work, center can't open before summer 2014.
• Sept. 19, 2013 - County issues Foulger-Pratt a Notice to Proceed, ordering them to begin latex-cement work.
• April 8, 2014 - Silver Spring Transit Center facing another delay - opening pushed back to late 2014 at the earliest.
• April 30, 2014 - A new report warns of risk from falling concrete chunks unless interior beams and girders are reinforced before transit center is opened.

4. Why is Montgomery County proceeding with "repairs" to the SSTC, especially in light of the fact that the public paid more than retail for a brand new, unflawed transit center, and is getting a severely flawed lemon instead?

5. Why are the Federal Transit Administration and the Maryland Transit Administration funding these "repairs"?

6. Why does Montgomery County, the Federal Transit Administration and the Maryland Transit Administration continue to ignore the public, even though the public is paying for this lemon?

So many questions; so few answers.

Mr. Shalleck has called for state and federal investigations. What is MD and the US government waiting for?