Silver Spring Transit Center Debacle

Debacle: "a great disaster or complete failure"
Debacle - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Summary: (May 2014)
Silver Spring Transit Center to cost taxpayers even more money | WJLA.com  

• David Dise: "All projects encounter struggles. Certainly this one is unique in that regard." 
• Councilman Phil Andrews: "This project has been a monumental debacle. ... There's simply no comparison between the Silver Spring Transit Center and any other construction project in the County's history." 
• Unique indeed, Mr. Dise! 

Update: 
Another $21M approved for Silver Spring Transit Center

• $141+ million
• May 2015

Background:
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DGS-BDC/Resources/Files/SS/509974/SSTC-Report-March-15-2013.pdf

• severely cracked, under-strength and over-stressed concrete
• deck slabs more than an inch less thick than they're supposed to be
• complete lack of expansion joints
• exposed reinforcement
• missing reinforcement
• design errors and omissions
• etc.

Project & construction management failures:
Report: Problems with Silver Spring Transit Center may have been known years ago | WJLA.com

Transparency failures:

Valerie Ervin on Silver Spring Transit Center (Video) | Montgomery Community Media
          
Questions:

• Does it sound to you like David Dise & Montgomery County's council (with the possible exception of Phil Andrews) are "out-of-touch"?
• Is the SSTC public-private partnership a preview of the Purple Line public-private partnership?

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

George Orwell

Here are the facts (reality):

1. The Silver Spring Transit Center is Montgomery County's project.
2. The SSTC is severely flawed.
3. The SSTC is way overdue.
4. The SSTC is way over budget.
5. The SSTC project is, as Councilman Phil Andrews put it, "a monumental debacle".
6. The Silver Spring Transit Center is a LEMON--KCE's March 15, 2013 report leaves no doubt about that. 
7. Local (Montgomery County), state (MD) and federal (US) taxpayers are paying for the LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center, including "repairs". The SSTC hasn't even opened yet--it hasn't seen its first fully loaded bus! Who in their right mind pays for "REPAIRS" to a LEMON that they were unfortunate enough to purchase in the first place? Apparently, WE do.
8. The Silver Spring Transit Center has been poorly managed--Montgomery County's April 15, 2014 Inspector General report leaves no doubt about that.   www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/Resources/Files/PDF/IGActivity/FY2014/mcdgs_sstc_final_report_main_15_apr_2014.pdf 
9. No one knows if the SSTC is safe. No one can see inside hardened concrete. No one can predict the future.
10. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to question the SSTC's safety: widespread cracking, under-strength and over-stressed concrete, thin slabs, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, falling chunks of concrete, design errors, faulty concrete inspection/testing, etc.
11. Former Montgomery County council member Valerie Ervin said that Montgomery County's staff, executive and council have been less-than-candid about problems with the Silver Spring Transit Center.
12. Montgomery County and KCE blame engineer Parsons Brinkerhoff, contractor Foulger Pratt and concrete inspector/tester Balter Co. for "errors and omissions" that resulted in the severely flawed, LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center. Neither blames Montgomery County--go figure!
13. The Silver Spring Transit Center is a public-private partnership.
14. We do not know why Montgomery County non-competitively selected 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. Private engineers, contractors and concrete inspection & testing firms for most public works projects are selected competitively.
15. The Purple Line is proceeding as a public-private partnership.

The severely flawed, overbudget, overdue,
LEMON, Silver Spring Transit Center

Take a ride down Colesville Rd. in April 2012, courtesy of Google Maps:
Silver Spring Metro Station - Google Maps
Click on the photo to "move on down the road".
It doesn't look much different 3 years later, does it?

Bad reporting on the Silver Spring Transit Center

Guess-the-Opening-Date Contest Launched for Silver Spring Transit Center | Silver Spring, MD Patch

"Five years ago Thursday, Sept. 26 (2008), groundbreaking for the Silver Spring Transit Center took place.

Of course, we all know how that has gone—structural inefficiencies have kept the center closed, and the contractor disagrees with the county on the best way to address the issues, Patch reported. "

"...structural inefficiencies..."???

That's a new one! In engineering school, they're called "structural defects" or "structural inadequacies". KCE, the structural engineering firm hired by Montgomery County to evaluate the SSTC, calls them "errors and omissions" in their March 15, 2013 report (which is on Montgomery County's website). The meaning and consequences of "errors and omissions" or "defect(ive)" or "inadequate" are quite different from the meaning and consequences of "structural inefficiencies" (whatever that means).

I would use another word besides "inefficient" to describe the parking garage in NJ and the bridges in Cincinnati and Willits CA that collapsed this week, and the parking garage that collapsed at Montgomery Mall in 2013.

• Snowplow driver falls in Secaucus parking garage collapse | NJ.com
• Man killed by I-75 bridge collapse
• Caltrans, OSHA investigating cause of bridge collapse | News - Home
• Parking Deck Collapse At Westfield Montgomery Mall In Md. Kills 1 | wusa9.com

Silver Spring Transit Center "insanity"

Montgomery County MD: 

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." 

Albert Einstein

In May 2014 Montgomery County's Inspector General reported that problems with the Silver Spring Transit Center (aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center) were known in 2010.

This is taken from a presentation that Ed Blansitt, Montgomery County Inspector General, gave on September 3, 2014 

to the annual conference of the Federal Audit Executive Committee (FAEC), Council of the Inspectors General on 

Integrity and Efficiency, at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria VA.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/05/report-problems-with-silver-spring-transit-center-may-have-been-known-years-ago-103358.html 

Nothing was done in April 2010 when Montgomery County's inspector "raised a red flag".

Fast forward from April 2010 to June 2012 when Montgomery County hired KCE Structural Engineers, PC to conduct an extensive document review and structural evaluation of the SSTC. KCE's report dated March 15, 2013 is on Montgomery County's website.

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DGS-BDC/SS/509974.html

KCE's report documents severe structural flaws with the SSTC's concrete frame, including extensive cracking of slabs, beams, girders and columns, slabs more than an inch thinner than the 10 inches thick called for, understrength and overstressed concrete, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, a complete lack of expansion joints, etc.

In March 2013 Montgomery County decided to proceed with "repairs" to the SSTC without holding public meetings to answer the public's questions and to obtain their input. Bad decision. Had Montgomery County bothered to hold public hearings to obtain citizen input before deciding to "repair" the SSTC, they may have found:

1. that the SSTC is a LEMON -- severely flawed, beyond repair.
2. that the public paid more-than-retail for a brand new transit center, not a severely flawed transit center that needs "repairs".
3. that when we (the public) are sold a LEMON, that we don't accept it.
4. that we, the public, object to Montgomery County using public $ to pay for "repairs" to the LEMON SSTC.

But, Montgomery County didn't hold public meetings to get citizen input in March 2013. Instead, the county decided on their own to make "repairs" to the LEMON SSTC.

Fast forward to former Montgomery County council member Valerie Ervin's May 2014 public remarks: http://www.mymcmedia.org/valerie-ervin-on-silver-spring-transit-center-video/

a "wake up" call? one would think.

Fast forward again to January 13, 2015 -- Montgomery County holds a public hearing to sell $16+ million in county general obligation bonds to pay for "repairs" to the severely flawed LEMON SSTC (in addition to using $5 million from other well-designed and well-constructed projects to fund "repairs" to the LEMON SSTC). No one speaks for the public. (Jonathan Gruber is right.) Nonetheless, County council members say that their constituents are complaining to them about the cost and safety of the SSTC. 

Fast forward once more to the proposed Purple Line -- a "public-private partnership" -- just like the SSTC.

Albert Einstein is right. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Silver Spring Transit Center
aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center

I was born at night... but, not LAST night!

the latest from the Montgomery County MD council: "with the completion (of the Silver Spring Transit Center) so close, the right thing to do is to move on and get it done".

Montgomery Co. Council approves more funding for delayed transit center - WTOP

REALLY?!?

Spend another $21+ million on the severely flawed, yet-to-be-opened ("so close"), $141+ million, 4+ years overdue ("so close"), 50+% over-budget, LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center (aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center)? using county general obligation bonds? plus, $ from other well-designed and well-constructed public projects where the engineer and contractor were selected competitively? when the engineer and contractor for the Silver Spring Transit Center were selected non-competitively with a "public-private partnership"?

I was born at night; but, not LAST night!

Obviously, Jonathan Gruber isn't the only one who thinks that voters are stupid! I wonder if any of the council members would be interested in a bridge in Brooklyn that I have for sale...

Silver Spring Transit Center
aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center

Metro and the Culture of Organizational Indifference

Metro and the Culture of Organizational Indifference | Joe Flood

comments:

"I’m a retired civil engineer who has lived in metro DC for most of my 68 years. In March 2013 when I saw KCE’s report on the Silver Spring Transit Center I was shocked. I started a blog, silverspringtransitcenter.blogspot.com to draw attention to inaccurate and incomplete statements by County officials and news media reports. 140+ posts later I am shocked by public apathy to this “debacle” (not my term, but Montgomery County councilman Phil Andrews’ term). IMHO the SSTC is a genuine threat to public safety."

"It should get very interesting when the lawsuits start with millions of $ on the line. However, with the way that news media have covered this story (with their lack of “in depth” reporting and “probing questions” that they so highly tout), the public may never learn the real story behind the severely flawed SSTC. In any event, I agree with you, Joe–the SSTC is unsafe."

Silver Spring Transit Center
aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center

Is putting more $ into the lemon Silver Spring Transit Center the "right thing to do"?

Montgomery Co. Council approves more funding for delayed transit center - WTOP

Most people don't spend their own $ to "fix" a LEMON that they were unfortunate enough to buy in the first place.

"'At this point, to not finish this project would be totally irresponsible. We're not happy. It hasn't been a project that any of us is proud of,' Berliner said. But with the completion so close, the right thing to do is 'to move on and get it done,' he said." 

No, Mr. Berliner, you're wrong. Continuing to pour more public $ into "fixing" the LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center (aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center), beyond what we've already paid for this LEMON, isn't the "right thing to do". The "responsible" thing to do with the SSTC (that none of us are "happy with"  or "proud of") is to get rid of this LEMON and cut the public's losses. As a matter of fact, you should have done that in March 2013 when KCE's report came out. Besides, what makes you so sure that you're "close" to completion? You've been saying that for years, and you've been wrong.

Silver Spring Transit Center
aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center

We've not heard the last from the Silver Spring Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center

Montgomery County has pretty much had it their way--the "bully pulpit", news media that fail to report "in depth" and ask "probing questions", an apathetic citizenry, etc. But, I believe that former Montgomery County council member Valerie Ervin is right...

Valerie Ervin on Silver Spring Transit Center (Video) | Montgomery Community Media

Eventually, it will "all come out". If not before, then certainly when the lawyers for the defendants have their day in court. And, when it does, Montgomery County, along with Foulger Pratt and their subcontractors, Parsons Brinkerhoff, Balter Co., the Federal Transit Administration, the Maryland Transit Administration and the news media, are going to look very, very bad.

Silver Spring Transit Center
aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center

Silver Spring Transit Center

Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center

Montgomery County's, news media's and the public's failures in the Silver Spring Transit Center debacle

Have the public been deceived in the Silver Spring Transit Center matter?

• by Montgomery County staff?
• by Montgomery County's elected officials?
• by news media?

• perhaps the public just aren't paying attention.
• or maybe...
  

Have Montgomery County staff deceived the public? Absolutely. In addition to failing to take responsibility for their own parts in this public works nightmare, namely failures in project management and in construction management, Montgomery County spokesman David Dise's repeated public statements that "the SSTC will absolutely be safe" are misleading, irresponsible and downright false. It's impossible to know what other flaws are hidden inside the SSTC's severely flawed concrete frame. Further, Dise cannot predict the future.

Have Montgomery County elected officials deceived the public? Absolutely. Repeated public statements by Isiah Leggett and members of the County council have failed to acknowledge Montgomery County's role in the SSTC debacle, while opting instead to blame only the private design engineer, contractor and the concrete inspection and testing company, and WMATA, exclusively without owning up to the County's own mismanagement of their project. Former council member Valerie Irvin's public statements of the council's deception have been ignored by Montgomery County government, news media and the public.   Valerie Ervin on Silver Spring Transit Center (Video) | Montgomery Community Media    Likewise, the Montgomery County IG report of the County's failures in project and construction management have also been ignored by Montgomery County elected officials, news media and the public.    silver spring transit center: Deficiencies in Project Management in Construction of the Silver Spring Transit Center

When it comes to making statements like "the SSTC will absolutely be safe" and "the SSTC's private contractor, engineer and concrete testing and inspection firm will pay for all 'repair' costs", Montgomery County staff and elected officials are writing checks that they can't cash.

Have news media's (print, TV, radio, internet) coverage of the SSTC debacle been misleading and incomplete? Absolutely. News media have done little more than parrot the misleading and incomplete statements of Montgomery County staff and elected officials, and report Montgomery County press releases carte blanche. News media have failed miserably to report the SSTC story "in depth" and to ask "probing questions" that news media so highly tout of themselves.

As far as the public failing to pay attention to the serious issues raised by the SSTC, and to hold Montgomery County responsible for whitewashing their own part in the SSTC fiasco, only we can answer why we have failed to hold each culpable party responsible for their part.

However, all is not lost. 

On Tuesday January 13, 2015 at 1:30 PM a public hearing will be held at the Montgomery County Council Hearing Room, 100 Maryland Avenue, in Rockville. The purpose of the public hearing is to present for approval a "supplemental appropriation and CIP amendment for $16,750,000" for "repairs" to the severely flawed, LEMON  Silver Spring Transit Center. Those who wish to testify must call 240-777-7803 by 1/12/15 at 5 pm.

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/resources/files/agenda/col/current_agenda.pdf

If Montgomery County's executive and council have their way, then $16,750,000 will be taken from the general fund, and $5,000,000 will be taken from other public works projects, to pay for "repairs" to the overdue, overbudget, severely flawed, LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center.

Is it worth it? Is it worth raiding the general fund of public money designated for "teacher, police and firefighter salaries and benefits; protection of the environment; important health initiatives; and much more"? Is it worth diverting funds from other well-designed and well-constructed public works projects for a severely flawed LEMON, a glorified parking garage on life support? Is it worth sucking public coffers dry to pay for extraordinarily high operations and maintenance costs, more "repairs", legal costs and other unknown extra expenses for the next five decades or more? 
The clear answers to these questions are NO. 

Are you going to let Montgomery County's executive and council have their way and raid the general fund and other projects to fund "repairs" to the LEMON SSTC? I hope not.

Let's have a BIG turnout from those inside and outside Montgomery County whose taxes and user fees have been spent for poor engineering design (Parsons Brinkerhoff), poor construction (Foulger Pratt, subcontractors), poor inspection and testing (Balter Co.), poor management (Montgomery County, Maryland Transit Administration, Federal Transit Administration), needed structural evaluations--because of the poor design, construction, inspection, testing and management--(KCE Structural Engineers, subconsultants, surveys, sampling, testing, etc.) and ill-advised "repairs" to the severely flawed, LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center.

For those who are unable to attend, send your letters to George Leventhal, Chairman, Montgomery County Council, and ask that your letter be made part of the public record for the hearing.

It's way past time to stop the madness, and the bleeding, to pull the plug, and to cut the public's losses with the overdue, over-budget, severely flawed, LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center.

SIGN UP on Monday, Jan. 12
SHOW UP on Tuesday, Jan. 13 @ 1:30 PM

Silver Spring Transit Center
aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center

The Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring MD Transit Center: a $141+ million lemon

What makes the $141+ million, yet-to-be-opened Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center a LEMON? It's defective from the get-go; defects are documented in KCE's March 15, 2013 report that was commissioned by Montgomery County. 

http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/dgs/resources/sstc-report-march-15-2013.pdf

• widespread cracking in concrete slabs, beams, girders and columns 
                                                  
• understrength and overstressed concrete 

  

  Concrete test reports prepared during construction show the same data for multiple samples. Post-construction concrete tests, conducted in connection with KCE's report, document concrete that is both under-strength (less strength than specified in the construction documents) and over-stressed (more post-tensioning force than specified applied during construction).

• exposed reinforcement 
  
• missing reinforcement 
  

Closure slabs were poured without steel reinforcement.

• deck slabs that are more than an inch thinner than what they're supposed to be (10 inches thick) 
  
• complete lack of expansion joints 

  

  WMATA requires expansion joints be spaced no more that 100 ft. apart. The 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has none.

• design errors and omissions
• construction errors and omissions
• concrete inspection and testing errors and omissions
• project and construction management errors and omissions http://silverspringtransitcenter.blogspot.com/2014/09/deficiencies-in-project-management-in.html

Is any of this news to you? If so, why? 

Have you been deceived?

• by Montgomery County staff?
• by Montgomery County's elected officials?
• by the news media?

• Or, perhaps you just haven't been paying attention.

All is not lost. 

On Tuesday January 13, 2015 at 1:30 PM a public hearing will be held at the Montgomery County Council Hearing Room, 100 Maryland Avenue, in Rockville. The purpose of the public hearing is to present for approval a "supplemental appropriation and CIP amendment for $16,750,000" for "repairs" to the severely flawed, LEMON  Silver Spring Transit Center. Those who wish to testify must call 240-777-7803 by 1/12/15 at 5 pm.

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/resources/files/agenda/col/current_agenda.pdf

If Montgomery County's executive and council have their way, then $16,750,000 will be taken from the general fund, and $5,000,000 will be taken from other public works projects, to pay for "repairs" to the overdue, overbudget, severely flawed, LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center.



Is it worth it? Is it worth raiding the general fund of public money designated for "teacher, police and firefighter salaries and benefits; protection of the environment; important health initiatives; and much more"? Is it worth diverting funds from other well-designed and well-constructed public works projects for a severely flawed LEMON, a glorified parking garage on life support? Is it worth sucking public coffers dry to pay for extraordinarily high operations and maintenance costs, more "repairs", legal costs and other unknown extra expenses for the next five decades or more? 
The clear answers to these questions are NO. 

Are you going to let Montgomery County's executive and council have their way and raid the general fund and other projects to fund "repairs" to the LEMON SSTC? I hope not.

Let's have a BIG turnout from those inside and outside Montgomery County whose taxes and user fees have been spent for poor engineering design (Parsons Brinkerhoff), poor construction (Foulger Pratt, subcontractors), poor inspection and testing (Balter Co.), poor management (Montgomery County, Maryland Transit Administration, Federal Transit Administration), needed structural evaluations--because of the poor design, construction, inspection, testing and management--(KCE Structural Engineers, subconsultants, surveys, sampling, testing, etc.) and ill-advised "repairs" to the severely flawed, LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center.

For those who are unable to attend, send your letters to George Leventhal, Chairman, Montgomery County Council, and ask that your letter be made part of the public record for the hearing.

It's way past time to stop the madness, and the bleeding, to pull the plug, and to cut the public's losses with the overdue, over-budget, severely flawed, LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center.

SIGN UP on Monday, Jan. 12
SHOW UP on Tuesday, Jan. 13 @ 1:30 PM

Silver Spring Transit Center
aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center