The Silver Spring Transit Center isn't just a Montgomery County MD thing

To the news media

To Montgomery County MD council and executive

To the Federal Transit Administration

To the Maryland Transit Administration
To Metro users

To ALL US citizens

NEWS ALERT!

The Silver Spring Transit Center isn't just a Montgomery County, MD thing.

Funding for the $141+ million, severely flawed, LEMON  Silver Spring Transit Center is 53% federal, 11% state and 36% Montgomery County.

Despite the fact that the news media, Montgomery County's executive and council, WMATA, the Federal Transit Administration and the Maryland Transit Administration act as if Montgomery County's Council isn't spending other peoples' money, in fact, they are.

• 53% of the funding for the SSTC comes from the general public, including all those from nearby District of Columbia and Virginia and all 50 states (most of which are distant from Montgomery County MD)
• 11% of the funding for the SSTC comes from MD citizens, including those who rarely, if ever, use Metro
• 36% of the funding for the SSTC comes from Montgomery County citizens

The bad news is that none of us were given the opportunity to ask our questions and make our comments on the public record BEFORE the decision to make "repairs" to the severely flawed, LEMON  Silver Spring Transit Center was made. The good news is that FINALLY we can ALL be heard on the public record.

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

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.

* ill-advised "repairs" because  WMATA requires expansion joints to be located every 100 ft. (or closer) apart; the 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has none. The SSTC will continue to have no expansion joints after "repairs" are made. 

No matter what you may hear from news media, Montgomery County's executive, council, staff, consultants (paid or otherwise), supporters, the Maryland Transit Administration or the Federal Transit Admnistration, these two facts are true: (1) understrength and overstressed concrete will remain after current "repairs" have been made and (2) current "repairs" fail to deal with the likely source of the cracking--the SSTC's complete lack of expansion joints. (1) KCE found understrength and overstressed concrete all over the SSTC (see "Excerpts from KCE's SSTC structural report" below). Understrength and overstressed concrete is not being replaced with the current "repairs". (2) Current "repairs" do not add expansion joints where there are none. (3) By definition the severely flawed SSTC is a LEMON. The SSTC will remain a LEMON even after current "repairs" have been made.

Excerpts from KCE's SSTC structural report

"Based on in situ sampling and testing performed, the concrete in the structural decks has lower compressive strength than required by the Contract Documents. The compressive strength is also lower than that reported by construction period sampling and testing."
page 5, Silver Spring Transit Center Investigation Report, Volume 1, March 15, 2013, KCE Structural Engineers, PC

"... the as-designed analysis indicates the initial and service level stresses were exceeded."
page 6

"Our analysis determined that certain beams in the drive lanes do not have adequate strength to support the design loads for both as-designed and as-built conditions when the in-situ concrete strength is less than the specified concrete strength, i.e., 8,000 psi vs. 6,970 psi (the in-place strength as described herein). In addition, we again determined that initial stress limits required by Code limitations of induced stresses to control cracking at initial and service conditions were exceeded."
page 7

"Our analysis determined that the girders at limited locations do not have adequate strength to support the design loads in combined shear and torsion with either 8,000 psi or 6,970 psi concrete. In addition, stress limits at initial and service conditions exceeded design limits."
page 7

NOTES:
1. "in-situ" = in-place = as-built. After construction, when KCE was hired to perform a structural investigation of the SSTC, in-place samples of the as-built concrete were taken and tested.

2. "Strength" (e.g., "compressive strength...") is a material's inherent ability to take external loads (forces), e.g., a fully loaded bus. Lumber, steel, reinforced concrete (steel tendons and/or rebars added), etc. all have "strength", i.e. they can all take external loads (forces) to some limit without breaking. (Obviously, steel and reinforced concrete, correctly manufactured, mixed, constructed, etc. to preset industry standards, have more "strength"--ability to take larger external loads for the same span and material dimensions--than lumber.)

3. "Stress" is the internal pressure (psi or pounds per square inch) that results in lumber, steel, concrete, etc. when external loads (forces) are applied. "Failure stress" is the internal pressure limit in a material that causes it to break. (Obviously, steel and reinforced concrete have higher "failure stress limits" in pounds per square inch, or psi, than lumber.)

4. "Design stress" (e.g. "...initial and service level stresses...") is the maximum internal stress used for design. Because of variability in specimens of the same material (lumber, steel, concrete, etc.), the applied load (force) at failure for specimens of like material and size is not the same. "Design stress", therefore, is always lower than "failure stress".

Photos are taken from KCE & WMATA reports (2013)

Transit center, White Oak plan remain key issues in Silver Spring -- Gazette.Net 

"'The contractors and consultants responsible will be held fully accountable for all costs related to and resulting from the necessary remediation and subsequent costs,' Leggett said."

Really?!?  When did you become a soothsayer, Leggett?

Isiah Leggett, the new Nostradamus

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

GET REAL, Leggett!!! 
You can't predict the future any more than I, or anybody else, can. You, of all people, should know that the judicial system (courts) will decide who pays for what, and that you alone aren't the judicial system.

Hold onto your wallets, folks! 
Private lawyers, court costs, extraordinarily high operations & maintenance costs, contractors, consultants, etc. ... not to mention time and expenses connected with legal proceedings, operations, maintenance, and other SSTC issues by Montgomery County's executive, council & staff. 

"In 2014, the Silver Spring Transit Center was a gift that kept giving..."

Correct!!! 

and 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020...

Silver Spring Transit Center

News media, why don't you report on how and why Montgomery County selected Parsons Brinkerhoff, Foulger Pratt and Balter Co. in the first place? It's an important part of the SSTC story. 

Could it be because of your own "cozy" relationship with Montgomery County government that you haven't reported how and why Montgomery County selected Parsons Brinkerhoff, Foulger Pratt and Balter Co. in the first place?

Silver Spring Transit Center
aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center

1. Attend the Jan. 13 public hearing.

2. Say NO to the proposal to raid the general fund & other projects of $21+ million for "repairs" to the LEMON SSTC. 

According to Leggett & Dise, the Silver Spring Transit Center is a complicated structure. Really? Good luck to Montgomery County building inspectors, and to those working and living in or near the hundreds of high rises in Montgomery County MD, if this is a complicated structure.

Would you like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

It just keeps getting deeper and deeper with the Silver Spring Transit Center.

          Snow job          

Would you like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

1. Montgomery County councilman and chairman of its transportation committee, Roger Berliner, would have us believe by his public statements that WMATA's engineers are disingenuous when they balk at accepting the severely flawed SSTC. Mr. Berliner would have us believe that our lying eyes are deceiving us--that we aren't really seeing: 

• photos of cracks and exposed reinforcement in KCE's and WMATA's reports
• construction test reports for concrete that show exactly the same test results for multiple samples
• in situ tests that show that the SSTC's less than five years old concrete is under-strength and overstressed (the yet-to-be-opened SSTC hasn't seen its first fully loaded bus)
• measurements that show deck slabs are more than an inch thinner than the 10 inches thick that they're supposed to be
• a complete lack of expansion joints (WMATA requires expansion joints spaced no more than 100 ft. apart; the 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has none.)
• reports that "chunks of concrete" have fallen from the SSTC
• etc. 

Would you like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

2. David Dise has said publicly on numerous occasions that "the Silver Spring Transit Center absolutely will be safe". 

Dise would have us believe that he can see rebars buried inside hardened concrete, assure us that all of the rebars that are supposed to be there are there *, that they're the right grade (strength), size (diameter), and length, and that they're properly tied to rebars around them. Even if we believe that Dise has x-ray vision, like Superman, does he really expect us to believe that he can also predict the future? Not even Superman can predict the future.

* We know from KCE's and WMATA's reports that not all rebars are in place like they're supposed to be. Severely cracked pour strips, a.k.a. closure slabs, are clear evidence that slab rebars are missing. What other rebars are missing from beams, girders and columns? No one, including David Dise, knows for sure. 

Figure 3-3. Soffit of pour strip on Level 330.
from May 2, 2013 WMATA report

Would you like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

3. Dise and Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett would have us believe by their public statements that the Silver Spring Transit Center is a complicated structure--MUCH more complicated than a bridge or a school or a rec center. 
http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1425:price-for-silver-spring-transit-center-rises-again
The SSTC is a glorified parking garage! What's so complicated about a parking garage? 

According to Leggett & Dise, the Silver Spring Transit Center is a complicated structure. Really? Good luck to Montgomery County building inspectors, and to those working and living in or near the hundreds of highrises in Montgomery County MD, if this is a complicated structure.

It must be disconcerting, to say the least, for folks in Silver Spring, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville, etc. to know that they're living and working in and around hundreds of high-rise buildings that were inspected during construction and were issued occupancy permits by Montgomery County building inspectors who don't have the expertise to handle a parking garage with just two above ground floors. 

Would you like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

4. Montgomery County Council Chairman George Leventhal wants to raid the general fund and other public works projects to pay for "repairs" ($21+ million) to the severely flawed, overdue, overbudget, LEMON SSTC ($141+ million, and rising). 
http://www.mymcmedia.org/council-president-leventhal-news-briefing-photos-and-video/

Mr. Leventhal, I was born at night; but, not last night!

Would you like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

On January 13 at the public hearing for his bill to raid the general fund and other projects of $21+ million to pay for "repairs" to the SSTC, tell Montgomery County council chairman George Leventhal that you're not buying it. Say NO to Leventhal's proposal to rob the general fund and other projects of $21+ million to pay for "repairs" to the LEMON SSTC.

Would you buy this LEMON?

Buying this LEMON is precisely what we're doing if we don't tell Montgomery County NO to spending another $21+ million of the public's $ to "repair" the LEMON SSTC.

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 SSTC.

Another 50 years of extraordinarily high operations and maintenance costs are not a good prospect for the public who are paying the bills for the deeply flawed LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center (a.k.a. the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center).

Anyone who can't see that the Silver Spring Transit Center is: 

• poorly designed
• poorly built
• poorly inspected
• poorly managed
• a burden to the public

simply isn't  paying attention.

Where the $21,750,000 for "repairs" to the Silver Spring Transit Center will come from

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.

"The County Council will hold a public hearing on the bill on Jan. 13 at 1:30 p.m. and is expected to act on it that day."

Tell Montgomery County NO! to the County executive's and council's proposal to raid the general fund and other projects to fund "repairs" for the overdue, overbudget, severely flawed, LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center.

If you are unable to attend the public hearing, then send a letter to Montgomery County Council Chairman George Leventhal, stating that you object to raiding the general fund and other projects to fund "repairs" for the overdue, over-budget, severely flawed, LEMON Silver Spring Transit Center, and ask that your letter be included in the public record for the hearing.

http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1425:price-for-silver-spring-transit-center-rises-again

Silver Spring Transit Center

Reasons not to use the Silver Spring Transit Center

According to the county executive, Isiah Leggett, & director of the Dept. of General Services, David Dise, the Silver Spring Transit Center is a complicated structure.  Silver Spring transit hub gets another delay - The Washington Post ... This doesn't say much for Montgomery County building inspectors; however, it does say much to those working and living in or near the hundreds of high rises in Montgomery County MD. ... The 2-story, glorified parking garage, Silver Spring Transit Center is a complicated structure? ... Really? 

1. Concrete cracking

photographs are from KCE's & WMATA's reports for the Silver Spring Transit Center

SSTC Structural Evaluation Report, March 15, 2013, KCE Structural Engineers, Inc.

Needless to say, cracking like this in a brand new, yet-to-be-opened structure is not normal. The SSTC hasn't seen its first fully-loaded bus. 

2. The SSTC doesn't have expansion joints (the likely source of the widespread cracking).

Standard construction practice requires expansion joints in structures exposed to temperature changes. WMATA design and construction standards, to which the SSTC was supposed to have been designed and built, require expansion joints be spaced no farther apart than every 100 feet. The 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC doesn't have expansion joints located every 100 feet. Ongoing repairs to the SSTC will not fix cracking caused by its total lack of expansion joints.

NOTE: It is unclear to me from the KCE and WMATA reports what, if any, expansion joints were actually constructed. It is clear, however, that, if constructed, the expansion joint(s) did not meet WMATA design and construction standards.

SSTC Structural Evaluation Report, March 15, 2013, KCE Structural Engineers, Inc.

3. Under-strength and overstressed concrete.

"Based on in situ sampling and testing performed, the concrete in the structural decks has lower compressive strength than required by the Contract Documents. The compressive strength is also lower than that reported by construction period sampling and testing."
SSTC Structural Evaluation Report, March 15, 2013, KCE Structural Engineers, Inc.

SSTC Structural Evaluation Report, March 15, 2013, KCE Structural Engineers, Inc.

Needless to say, ongoing repairs to the SSTC will not replace all of the SSTC's under-strength and overstressed concrete.

NOTE: The point here is that even though external reinforcement can be used to strengthen under-strength and overstressed beams, reinforcing the beams externally does not rid them of the under-strength and overstressed concrete that shouldn't be there in the first place. The SSTC is a LEMON.

The same can be said of the SSTC's complete lack of expansion joints. You can make an argument that the SSTC won't collapse because it doesn't have expansion joints; but, expansion joints are (1) standard construction practice, (2) a contract requirement (adherence to WMATA design and construction standards) and (3) the SSTC's total lack of expansion joints will result in higher-than-normal operations and maintenance costs.The SSTC is a LEMON that the public will be paying through the nose for for decades.

Silver Spring Transit Center

4. Deck slabs thinner than the 10 inches thick called for in the Contract Documents.

"Our survey results indicate that the slab thickness varied from approximately 7 to 12-1/4 inches. The slab thickness variations (particularly in the "thin" slab areas) impact initial and service level stresses as well as shear and moment capacities."
SSTC Structural Evaluation Report, March 15, 2013, KCE Structural Engineers, Inc.

5. Exposed and missing reinforcement

"... no additional cores were taken from Pour Strips due to their inherent unacceptability due to cracking and missing reinforcing ..."

SSTC Structural Evaluation Report, March 15, 2013, KCE Structural Engineers, Inc.

6. Reports of "chunks" of concrete falling from the SSTC.

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2014/04/panel-warns-of-falling-concrete-at-transit-center.html

7. Perhaps the BIGGEST reason of all:

We can:

• see chunks of concrete falling from the SSTC.
• see that the SSTC doesn't have expansion joints.
• see the SSTC's cracks.
• see reinforcement sticking out of the SSTC's slabs, beams, girders and columns.
• measure the thickness (or lack thereof) of the SSTC's slabs.
• take some random samples and test the strength (or lack thereof) of the hardened concrete at that particular location.

We can't:

• see inside the SSTC's hardened concrete slabs, beams, girders, and columns.
• see what reinforcement may be missing.
• see if the reinforcement buried inside the SSTC's hardened concrete is the right grade (strength), size (diameter) and length. 
• see if rebars are tied properly to other rebars around them.
• test all of the SSTC's hardened concrete, in its entirety, at all locations, to determine its strength (or lack thereof).
• retrofit the SSTC for expansion joints when the SSTC wasn't designed or built with expansion joints in the first place.

That's why the statement "the SSTC will absolutely be safe" is absolutely absurd.

Fortunetellers can't predict the future.

Neither can David Dise nor anybody else.

8. "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link."

9. Listen to Kojo:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFICwt6mFwQ

Berliner: "No one should take that chance."

You're right, Mr. Berliner. No one should take that chance.

Mr. Berliner, with all due respect, you're playing fortuneteller too, just like David Dise. Let's get real and talk facts. The public are currently paying for repairs to the LEMON SSTC. Until the SSTC is fully litigated, it's "wishful thinking" to say that the public won't be stuck with costs for this LEMON. Some of us won't be happy until the full amount ($130+ million, and rising) is reimbursed to public coffers. 

Furthermore, if you and some of your constituents believe that Foulger Pratt and Balter Co. are "tops in the country" (contractor and inspection/testing firm, respectively), then there's a bridge in Brooklyn that you may want to buy.

Tom Sherwood, good idea! Tear it down and build a skateboard park. 

This time around, let's hope that Montgomery County selects a contractor, engineer, construction manager and materials' inspection and testing firm competitively (like most public works projects), based on qualifications and cost, rather than selecting them noncompetitively, based on politics (crony capitalism).

10. Watch and listen to the video made by Silver Spring high school students James Hall, Mario Lemus & Milton Flores: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZrmEj-Xtk


********************************************************************************************************

For some the SSTC is a political issue that involves a publicly financed transit center; for others it is a construction issue that raises government transparency questions. 

Jonathan Gruber has become famous for saying that voters are stupid; however, in the same breath Gruber said that "lack of transparency is a huge political advantage". 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G790p0LcgbI

For whatever reason(s) SSTC news media reports (print, TV, radio, internet) have failed to ask "probing questions" and to cover the story "in depth" that news media so highly tout. Irresponsible statements from public officials, such as "the SSTC will absolutely be safe" and "the public will not pay for repairs" go unchallenged even though public officials (or anyone else, for that matter) cannot predict the future. News media have failed to report how and why Montgomery County selected the SSTC's builder, engineer and concrete testing firm non-competitively, while most contractors and professional services firms are selected competitively for public works projects. There is much to the SSTC story that has not been reported; much of what has been reported has been one-sided at best and misleading or just plain inaccurate at worst. "Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage."

NOTE:  Funding for the SSTC (from your taxes and user fees) is 53% federal (administered by the Federal Transit Admnistration), 11% state (administered by the Maryland Transit Administration) and 36% local (Montgomery County). It is unclear why the news media (print, TV, radio, internet) have failed to cover the SSTC "in-depth" and to ask "probing questions" * that they so highly tout.

* such as, why did Montgomery County non-competitively select 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 when contractors, engineers and materials' inspection and testing firms are selected competitively for most public works' projects? Why didn't Montgomery County hold public meetings before making "repairs" to the brand new, yet-to-be-opened LEMON SSTC where the paying public can ask their questions and make their comments on the public record? Why are "repairs" being made to the severely flawed, LEMON SSTC when those "repairs" won't fix the sources of the problems (cracking, etc.), e.g. the SSTC's lack of expansion joints? 

Once a LEMON, always a LEMON.

Silver Spring Transit Center

Add Isiah Leggett and George Leventhal to the Montgomery County fortunetellers: 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/cost-of-silver-spring-transit-center-repairs-jumps-another-21-million/2014/12/04/a87cf0bc-7bee-11e4-b821-503cc7efed9e_story.html

“The contractors and consultants responsible will be held fully accountable for all costs related to and resulting from the necessary remediation,” Leggett said.

Mr. Leggett, don't make promises that you can't keep. 

How many times have we seen that on this project?

“We’ll probably hold our noses and vote for it,” said Leventhal, “and work hard to make sure taxpayers are reimbursed. It’s a bitter pill to swallow.”

http://www.mymcmedia.org/council-president-leventhal-news-briefing-photos-and-video/

Mr. Leventhal, I'm curious why "the urgency of getting this facility open and accessible to the public" is #1 on your mind. Why isn't public safety your #1 concern? Why aren't you equally concerned with the federal, state and county funds that have been wasted on the LEMON SSTC? with crony capitalism in Montgomery County? with seeing to it that something like this never happens again in Montgomery County? 

Did you read the Montgomery County Inspector General report? If so, then why are you saying that "the fault lies (solely) with the contractors"? Your own IG report identifies systemic failures with Montgomery County's project management for the SSTC. The IG recommends that these failures be corrected so that they don't occur on future projects. Aren't you and the rest of the council going to follow through on the IG's recommendations?

Do your constituents agree with you that it is "the right decision to proceed (with "repairs", and paying for them with public money) now and get this facility open and running (ASAP)"? If so, then how do you know that your constituents agree with you? Montgomery County didn't hold public hearings to take citizen questions and comments on the public record before the decision to make repairs was made more than a year ago. Because you don't know what the public outside Montgomery County think about Montgomery County spending their public money (53% federal and 11% state) "repairing" the LEMON SSTC, what do you think that they think about that?

"...public hearing on January 13..." to get public input on robbing $21.75M from Peter (other projects, general fund, etc.) to pay Paul (the brand new, yet-to-be-opened, under "repair", lemon SSTC). Mark your calendars. Y'all come on out and give MoCo a piece of your mind.

For those who can't attend the public hearing, send a letter to Leventhal, and ask him to enter it into the public record for the hearing.

For example,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/speed-bumps-in-silver-spring-transit-project/2014/12/11/a42e040e-7f24-11e4-b936-f3afab0155a7_story.html

You have a point, Jonathan Gruber

Jonathan Gruber is catching a lot of flak for saying that American voters are stupid. 

What did Gruber really say?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G790p0LcgbI 

"Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage."

Does he have a point?

I'm not an economist and health care is not my field. Engineering is. Montgomery County's public statements, and lack thereof, and the news media's (print, TV, radio, internet) failure to report the Silver Spring Transit Center debacle "in depth", and to ask "probing questions", are definitely lack of transparency on Montgomery County's and the news media's parts.

In May 2014 Montgomery County MD councilman Phil Andrews said:

"'This project has been a monumental debacle', Andrews stated. 'There's no comparison between the Silver Spring Transit Center and any other construction project in the county's history.' 

In 1993, county leaders estimated a transit center would cost $26 million to build. That figure more than tripled to $93 million in 2008. In 2013 it spiked again to $120 million. Following the newest round of planned repairs, Silver Spring's fiscal eyesore should top-out at around $131 million.

'It is tens-of-millions-of-dollars over budget, it's got major safety issues, major durability issues, it can't work as intended at this point,' Andrews said. 'It's just way overdue.'"

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/05/silver-spring-transit-center-delayed-will-cost-taxpayers-even-more-money-102945.html 

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.

There's more.

The Silver Spring Transit Center is publicly funded: 53% federal, 11% state (MD) and 36% county (Montgomery). 

In March 2013 Montgomery County made public a structural investigation and report for the over-budget, overdue SSTC. The report documents severe structural flaws, including widespread cracking, deck slabs more than an inch thinner than what they're supposed to be, under strength and over stressed concrete, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, a complete lack of expansion joints, under designed beams, etc. 

Silver Spring Transit Center

The report blames the numerous flaws on "errors and omissions" by the SSTC's builder/contractor Foulger Pratt, design engineer Parsons Brinkerhoff and concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector Balter Co. Montgomery County chose these private companies, non-competitively, via public-private partnership, to design, build and inspect the SSTC. Why didn't Montgomery County use the normal competitive practices for selecting a builder/contractor, design engineer and concrete testing and inspection firm for a public works project? Crony capitalism? The mainline news media isn't asking; and, Montgomery County isn't talking.

Look whose tongues that the cat's got! 
Montgomery County's and the news media!

"Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage."

Crony Capitalism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crony_capitalism

Currently, publicly funded "repairs" are being made to the yet-to-be-opened SSTC. However, without expansion joints, the lemon SSTC can be expected to continue to crack in the future. 

Montgomery County failed to hold public meetings to inform the paying public as to what they are doing and why they are doing it, and to answer the public's questions and to take their comments on the public record BEFORE the County began "repairing" the yet-to-be-opened, supposed-to-be-brand-new, LEMON SSTC. The mainline news media failed to report this blatant lack of transparency.

"Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage."

Former Montgomery County councilwoman Valerie Ervin spoke about Montgomery County's lack of transparency in an interview:
http://www.mymcmedia.org/valerie-ervin-on-silver-spring-transit-center-video/ 
"... there's a lot of the story still underneath the surface (translation: we haven't been told the whole truth) ... it's going to cost taxpayers a lot of money until it's resolved (contrary to what we've been told) ... people have many reasons not to believe what they've been told (translation: we've been lied to)".  

You have a point, Jonathan Gruber.  
"Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage."

BTW, the incumbent County Executive and County Council were re-elected.
"Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage."

One thing that is transparent: The Silver Spring Transit Center is a $130+ million, money pit, LEMON that will be wasting public funds (US, MD & Montgomery County) for DECADES.

Silver Spring Transit Center

Silver Spring Transit Center