Independent Advisory Committee Report

The 17-page Independent Advisory Committee Report "...contains the relevant findings and recommendations of the group that was formed at the recommendation of the chair (Norman R. Augustine) in response to questions posed by the (Montgomery) County Executive (Isiah Leggett) ." 

The report outlines the committee's limited scope in addition to its findings and recommendations: "...the County Executive sought advice on three specific issues: (1) the going-forward plan for completion of the Center; (2) the credibility of the currently projected “to-complete” costs; and (3) the viability of the currently projected schedule for completing proposed repairs." 

The qualifications, experience and credentials of the 4-man committee are impressive. The report addresses the committee's limited scope adequately; however, IMHO, the report does not adequately address the SSTC's complete lack of expansion joints (one of the major findings in the KCE report) as the probable source of the SSTC's extensive cracking. Nor does the report address how to remedy the problem causing the extensive cracking (the SSTC's complete lack of expansion joints).

The report states in part: "Unfortunately, the extensive cracking that has been observed (as documented by KCE in its report e.g. at pages 6 and 7 and as observed by the members of the Committee during site visits) is viewed as unacceptable and is indicative of design and/or construction deficiencies. Unacceptable cracks are present in slabs, beams, girders and columns (pages 43-44 of KCE report).

The Committee understands that the current recommendation of KCE with respect to cracking is as follows. The Latex-Modified Concrete topping will cover the cracks in the top of the slabs. All other cracks that are subject to infiltration by water and/or corrosive agents (e.g., de-icing chemicals) will need to be repaired. Given the facility’s history, it can be expected that over time cracks will reopen and new cracks will appear. This will not affect overall structural integrity as long as these cracks are promptly treated as per designed by a structural engineer."

I agree with the committee that "...The Latex-Modified Concrete topping will cover the cracks in the top of the slab". I also agree that "All other cracks that are subject to infiltration by water and/or corrosive agents (e.g., de-icing chemicals) will need to be repaired." However, I find the next couple of sentences vague and unconvincing: "Given the facility’s history, it can be expected that over time cracks will reopen and new cracks will appear. This will not affect overall structural integrity as long as these cracks are promptly treated as per designed by a structural engineer." 

The committee states that "Unacceptable cracks are present in slabs, beams, girders and columns (pages 43-44 of KCE report)"; however, the committee seemingly contradicts itself by further saying that "...over time cracks will reopen and new cracks will appear", and suggests these cracks are acceptable "as long as these cracks are promptly treated as per designed by a structural engineer". 

Are existing cracks on the underside of decks and through beams, girders and columns acceptable or are they not? If they are unacceptable, as the committee previously states (and I agree), then what caused them, and can the cause be remedied? "...cracks are promptly treated as per designed by a structural engineer" is simply not specific enough to determine if the existing extensive cracking and the source of the cracking (the SSTC's complete lack of expansion joints) will be corrected. Without specifics I am unconvinced of the "overall structural integrity" of the Silver Spring Transit Center.

Is the SSTC the next Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkway?

"On the evening of July 17, 1981, approximately 1,600 people gathered in the atrium to participate in and watch a dance competition.[6] Many people stood on the two connected walkways. At 7:05 p.m. the second-level walkway held approximately 40 people with more on the third and an additional 16 to 20 on the fourth level who watched the activities of the crowd in the lobby below.[4] The fourth floor bridge was suspended directly over the second floor bridge, with the third floor walkway offset several meters from the others. Construction difficulties resulted in a subtle but flawed design change that doubled the load on the connection between the fourth floor walkway support beams and the tie rods carrying the weight of both walkways. This new design was barely adequate to support the dead load weight of the structure itself, much less the added weight of the spectators. The connection failed, and the fourth-floor walkway collapsed onto the second-floor walkway. Both walkways then fell to the lobby floor below, resulting in 111 deaths at the scene and 219 injuries. Three additional victims died after being transported to hospitals, bringing the total number of deaths to 114.[7] ... The Hyatt tragedy remains a classic model for the study of engineering ethics and errors (as well as disaster management[23]). 

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR_N6lyTxj0

Unfortunately, it happens. Errors and omissions can lead to horrible disasters. KCE's report, that Montgomery County commissioned, and has been available on Montgomery County's website for more than a year, attributes the SSTC's total lack of expansion joints, its widespread cracking, slabs thinner than they're supposed to be, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, underdesigned beams, understrength and overstressed concrete, etc. to errors and omissions by the SSTC's contractor/builder, engineer/designer and concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector.

Do you trust the opinions of only those who have been involved in the project, who have a lot to lose if the SSTC is deemed unsafe, and who are paid for by Montgomery County? I don't. I want the opinions of independent experts who haven't been involved in the project to date, who aren't paid for by Montgomery County, who don't have ties to this region (including its politics), and who don't have anything to lose (e.g., current or future business) by being totally objective, and finding that the SSTC is unsafe, if that's the case.

Finally, who's been controlling information that's been made public for the SSTC for the past year? ... primarily, politicians and the news media. Needless to say, neither politicians nor the news media are independent construction and/or engineering experts.

an open letter

April 19, 2014

Montgomery Co. Executive
Montgomery Co. Council
Federal Transit Administration
Maryland Transit Administration

In March 2013 Montgomery County made public a report, which it commissioned, that documents severe flaws in the nearly-completed Silver Spring Transit Center. Among the severe flaws are widespread cracking of concrete slabs, beams, girders and columns, slabs that are more than an inch thinner than what they’re supposed to be, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, complete lack of expansion joints, under-designed beams, understrength and overstressed concrete, concrete curing failures, suspect concrete test reports, etc. The KCE report attributes the severe flaws to errors and omissions by the SSTC’s builder/contractor, engineer/designer and concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector. 

While it’s been more than a year since the SSTC’s numerous flaws were made public, questions regarding how and why a brand new structure could be so severely flawed remain unanswered. Even though I have more questions than those that follow, I respectfully request your answers to the following questions:

1. Why are you making repairs to the yet-to-be-opened SSTC? The public expects a brand new transit center; not a flawed transit center that, at the very least, even with repairs, will be expensive to operate and maintain.

2. Why haven’t public meetings been held to brief the public on what you’re doing, and why, and to answer the public’s questions and to obtain their comments on the public record?

3. Given that the SSTC’s widespread cracking is likely caused by its complete lack of expansion joints (documented in KCE’s report and reiterated by WMATA), why do you persist in pouring a two inch concrete overlay when the overlay will not address the underlying cause of the cracking problem (complete lack of expansion joints)?

4. Why wasn't the SSTC bid for construction, as has been standard practice for public works projects for decades?

5. Why weren’t decades-old, tried-and-true, competitive practices for selecting professional services firms used in selecting the SSTC’s engineer/designer and concrete inspector/tester/special quality inspector? 

6. Were political contributions part of the selection process for the SSTC’s builder/contractor, engineer/designer and concrete inspector/tester/special quality inspector?

As you know, the Silver Spring Transit Center is funded by federal (53%), state (11%) and local (36%) public taxes and user fees. 

Sincerely,
Ray Koenig
U.S. Citizen

Why?

http://www.mymcmedia.org/shalleck-on-silver-spring-transit-center-video/

Why can't we get answers? We're "paying the freight". More than $120 million in federal (53%), state (11%) and local (36%) PUBLIC funds have been spent on the Silver Spring Transit Center; and, the end is nowhere in sight. Why has Montgomery County proceeded with tens of millions in repairs without our input? What's wrong with asking the County why it's spending tens of millions in repairs to the brand new Silver Spring Transit Center that hasn't even opened publicly yet? We're not entitled to an explanation? Why hasn't there been a public meeting where we can ask our questions and provide our comments on the public record? Democrat, Republican, Independent, apolitical. Why should it make any difference who's asking the question? If we're "paying the freight", then we're entitled to answers to our questions, and to have our comments recorded on the public record, regardless of our political affiliation.

It may be nothing, Mr. Shalleck; but, the fact that we can't get simple answers to our simple questions doesn't pass the "smell test".

Lemon?

http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/Silver-Spring-Transit-Center4-10-2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/transit-center-report-public-at-risk-from-falling-concrete-without-additional-repairs/2014/04/29/90bdf8a2-cfca-11e3-a6b1-45c4dffb85a6_story.html   NEW!!!  (also read public comments to the article)

Can there be any doubt at all that the yet-to-be-opened, severely flawed Silver Spring Transit Center is a lemon?

Why should we, the public (local, state & federal), who paid and are paying for the SSTC, accept this lemon? If you had the misfortune of buying a brand new automobile that was a lemon, would you accept it? No. If you purchase any new product that is defective, what do you do? You take it back. Why should we accept a brand new transit center that is severely flawed, is under repair before it even opens, and will require an inordinate amount of public funds to operate and maintain it? 

We're paying more than retail for a brand new, state-of-the-art transit center. 53% of the funding for the $120+ million (and counting!) SSTC are federal funds; 11% are MD state funds; and 36% are local Montgomery County funds. Montgomery County, the Federal Transit Administration and the Maryland Transit Administration are trying to ram the defective lemon SSTC down our throats without so much as a public meeting so that we can ask our questions and make our comments on the public record. That's a fine way to treat those who are paying the freight! Tell Montgomery County, the FTA and the MTA "NO!" to the defective lemon Silver Spring Transit Center.

Augustine

Norman Augustine, former Lockheed Martin chairman, and chairman of a working team of independent engineering and development industry experts appointed by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett to advise him on repairs to the yet-to-be-opened, severely flawed Silver Street Transit Center.

St. Augustine, educator, author, philosopher, theologian
“Augustine is considered an influential figure in the history of education. … Augustine's understanding of the search for understanding/meaning/truth as a restless journey leaves room for doubt, development and change.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo

Archbishop Carroll High School, 4300 Harewood Road, NE Washington, DC
“Our school's founders intended it to be a model of academic excellence. To do so they asked the Augustinian fathers to run the school, which they did until 1989. St. Augustine remains our patron saint and a reminder of the erudition to which each of our students is called. His own life as a leading intellect in Roman North Africa lacked fulfillment until he united his learning with faith in God. He founded a monastery in which monks' treatment of each other was to reflect the love God had for each of them. So it is with Augustine as our inspiration that Carroll students are asked to take on a rigorous college preparatory academic program; to use what they learn to make the world around them a better place; and to learn every day how to reflect God's love for each of them in their kindness to each other.”
http://www.archbishopcarroll.org/historywe-are-carroll

Villanova University, Villanova PA
“The Augustinian Order has always been aware of the enormous influence that Saint Augustine’s legacy has exercised on its apostolate of higher education. This legacy is not so much a philosophical or theological system of thought as it is a dynamic vision of people living in community united in "mind and heart" in the ardent search of Wisdom. For Augustine this Wisdom is the Divine Truth itself, revealed in Jesus Christ, for which every heart is restless. As universal Wisdom, it is pursued in common with all humanity and is achieved by open, intelligent, responsible, and mutually respectful interaction of points of view. From its inception, the Order contributed to this search through its educational apostolate, motivated by Augustine’s own vision that "God would like to sow in every soul the seeds of intelligence and wisdom."
http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/mission/heritage/tradition.html

John 8:32
“… and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

Diversion?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/moco-metro-remain-split-over-necessity-for-girder-and-beam-work-on-transit-center/2014/04/08/9bd280cc-bf59-11e3-b195-dd0c1174052c_story.html

While MoCo and its consultants and METRO argue about torsion, the obvious is being missed. No one is arguing that the SSTC is severely cracked and no one is arguing that the SSTC doesn’t have expansion joints. These facts are well documented in KCE’s report that was commissioned by Montgomery County and has been available for viewing and downloading on Montgomery County’s website for more than a year.

Concrete buildings aren’t supposed to crack from stem to stern like the SSTC has. That the SSTC has cracked extensively before it even opens, and fully loaded buses start rolling across its decks, is even more troubling. Standard construction practice requires expansion joints for structures exposed to temperature changes. METRO design and construction standards, to which the SSTC was supposed to have been designed and built, require that expansion joints be spaced no more than 100 feet apart. The 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has none. It’s possible (likely?) that the severe cracking in the SSTC is caused by its total lack of expansion joints. The latex concrete overlay that has been proposed will not fix the underlying problem (lack of expansion joints).

Is all this discussion about torsion just a diversion? 

a step in the right direction

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/silver-spring-transit-center-could-open-by-fall/2014/04/01/c7b66fdc-b83d-11e3-96ae-f2c36d2b1245_story.html

"a working group of independent engineering and construction experts" is what’s needed. So far, we’ve only heard from those involved in the project and paid for by Montgomery County. A truly independent group should examine the severe cracking in slabs, beams, girders and columns and other defects (slabs less than the 10 inches thick called for, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, under-designed beams, etc.), determine what caused the defects, and then determine solutions that will address underlying causes. 

Montgomery County’s report, made public more than a year ago, attributes the SSTC’s serious defects to errors and omissions by the SSTC’s contractor/builder, the engineer/designer and the concrete inspector/tester. The report notes that the SSTC doesn’t have expansion joints. Standard design and construction practice requires expansion joints in outdoor structures exposed to temperature changes. WMATA design and construction standards, to which the SSTC was supposed to have been designed and constructed, call for expansion joints to be located no more than 100 feet apart; the 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has none. Could it be that the extensive cracking in the SSTC is caused by its total lack of expansion joints? If so, then the two inch latex concrete overlay planned for the SSTC will not fix the underlying problem (lack of expansion joints). 

Since the Silver Spring Transit Center is an integral part of WMATA's regional system, serving DC, VA & MD, I would have preferred to see structural engineering and construction experts from DC (e.g., Howard University's College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences) and VA on Montgomery County's "working group of independent engineering and construction experts". Nonetheless, I look forward to the independent engineering and construction experts’ report. Hopefully, Montgomery County will hold public meetings so that we can finally learn what the County is doing in the way of repairs, and why, and we can ask our questions and provide our comments on the public record.

status report

Let’s see what we have so far:

1. An under-construction, overdue, over-budget, seriously flawed, Silver Spring Transit Center.

2. A year old report (commissioned by Montgomery County) that says that the severe flaws (extensive cracking, slabs more than an inch thinner than what they’re supposed to be, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, 250 under-designed beams, understrength and overstressed concrete, suspect concrete test reports, etc.) are the result of errors and omissions by the SSTC’s builder/contractor, engineer/designer and concrete inspector/tester.

3. $10+ million (so far) in repairs to the $120+ million (so far) SSTC, including a latex concrete overlay scheduled to be installed as soon as freezing weather has passed.

Now, let’s see what we don’t have:

1. Expansion joints in the 315 ft. by 580 ft. public, open-air structure (an obvious omission).

2. An opening date.

3. A final price tag.

4. Future operation and maintenance costs, which will be high, given the SSTC's serious design, construction and concrete inspection/testing flaws. 

5. An independent (not involved in the project to-date or paid for by Montgomery County) evaluation of the SSTC’s safety.

6. An independent investigation into Montgomery County’s role as owner and overseer for the project, including selection of the SSTC's contractor/builder, engineer/designer and concrete inspector/tester and the County’s failure to address serious flaws until construction is almost complete.

7. Anything from the Federal Transit Administration or the Maryland Mass Transit Administration that explains their failure to protect the public’s investment in the SSTC. (More than half of the funds for the SSTC are federal funds.)

8. Public meetings where Montgomery County explains to those who are paying for the SSTC (the public) what they’re doing (repairs) and why.

9. An opportunity for the public to ask their questions and make their comments on the public record.

One would think that with all of the media (print, TV, radio, internet) around (the SSTC is within a few hundred yards of the DC/MD line), with their self-proclaimed “in-depth reporting” and “probing questions”, that we’d know more than we do. ... Not so.

Baseless Self Serving Statements

http://www.wtop.com/654/3587776/Purple-Line-Officials-say-when-not-if

What can we learn from the Silver Spring Transit Center?

At one session on design and development, someone asked what lessons can be learned from the delays with the Silver Spring Transit Center, Silver Line and D.C. Streetcar that can be applied to the Purple Line.

"I believe the project will open on-time and on-budget. If there are delays, it will be on the company's dime," says Madden, referring to whichever company is involved in the public-private partnership.

MTA officials hope construction will begin in 2015 and passenger service will begin in 2020.

"We need to restore some trust with the public. We need to ensure ahead of time that the government and the contractors are very much on the same page. We need to make sure through computer modeling and just dialogue to make sure all the kinks are worked out before the shovels hit the ground," says Leventhal.

Other officials tell WTOP that state agencies pay close attention to what is happening in Silver Spring and Tysons and are confident the Purple Line will be well constructed and properly inspected.


"...close attention..."? 
"...confident the Purple Line will be well constructed and properly inspected..."?

• Did WTOP follow up?
• Did WTOP ask "probing questions" and challenge these baseless self-serving statements with "in-depth reporting"? 
• Did WTOP ask how a public-private partnership would serve the public so much better with the Purple Line when it has failed the public so miserably with the Silver Spring Transit Center?
• Did WTOP ask MTA officials specifically why "state agencies" are "confident the Purple Line will be well constructed and properly inspected"? what specific steps are being taken to provide the "close attention" to the Purple Line that was not paid to the Silver Spring Transit Center?
• Did WTOP ask Madden specifically why he believes that "the project will open on-time and on-budget. If there are delays, it will be on the company's dime"? Specifically, why he believes that the public will not be stuck with future cost overruns? Specifically how he's able to look into the future and predict how the courts will decide a case like the Silver Spring Transit Center?
• Did WTOP ask Leventhal specifically how they are going to "restore some trust with the public ... (and) ensure ahead of time that the government and the contractors are very much on the same page ... (and) make sure all the kinks are worked out before the shovels hit the ground." ...   What are the specifics that distinguish these statements from other baseless self-serving statements?
• Did WTOP point out to Madden and Leventhal the difference between facts and opinions ("I believe...")?

Apparently not.

missed the point ... again

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/new-duncan-video-calls-for-leggetts-final-jeopardy-answer-on-silver-spring-transit-center/2014/03/20/9df39e50-b02b-11e3-a49e-76adc9210f19_story.html


"Officials say workers need an average of at least 40 degrees to effectively pour a new latex-modified concrete layer on road surfaces to treat cracks and leaks."

This misses the point. The real question isn't "when will it be done?" The real questions are: Is the latex concrete overlay needed? If so, why? Will it fix the problem? If not, then why not? 

The SSTC is severely flawed; there is extensive cracking in supported slabs, beams, girders and columns, likely caused by the SSTC's complete lack of expansion joints. This is clear from KCE's report that was commissioned by Montgomery County and can be viewed and downloaded on Montgomery County's website. 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 constructed, require expansion joints to be located no more than 100 feet apart. The 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has none. A concrete overlay will not fix the underlying problem--extensive cracking caused by the complete lack of expansion joints.

The questions at the end of the video are relevant: Is the SSTC safe? And, how much will it cost? Total costs include future operations and maintenance costs, which will be high according to WMATA, because of the SSTC's numerous design, construction and concrete inspection and testing flaws. Other costs include extras (above original design, inspection and construction contracts), repairs, outside engineering and legal fees, future court costs, and Montgomery County's administrative costs to-date and in the future.

Time's up

http://www.mymcmedia.org/duncan-releases-new-silver-spring-transit-center-video/

cute... 

The real issue isn't so much that the Silver Spring Transit Center is way overdue (timeline); the real issue is that the SSTC is seriously flawed:  

• no expansion joints 
• extensive cracking 
• slabs that are more than an inch thinner than what they're supposed to be
• exposed reinforcement
• missing reinforcement
• under-designed beams
• understrength and overstressed concrete
• etc. 

The real questions come at the end of the video: 

• Is the SSTC safe (according to experts NOT involved in the project to date and NOT paid for by Montgomery County)? 

• How much will the SSTC cost the public? ALL costs to-date and future costs, including:
• contract cost
• extras
• outside engineering and legal fees
• repairs
• future operations and maintenance costs
• court costs
• Montgomery County's administrative costs
• etc. 

Time's up. It's passed due time for answers.

Lessons from the present

Has the Silver Spring Transit Center debacle taught us anything?

1. Engineering 101: Structures exposed to temperature changes need expansion joints.

We’re all aware of what happens to some water mains in winter when it's cold. They break:

And in summer when some roads get hot. They buckle:

Lesson: Don’t design and build a 315 ft. by 580 ft. structure, that's exposed to temperature changes, without expansion joints.

2. Economics 101: Sole source purchasing is not the way to buy public goods and services. 

Most consumers understand that competition benefits consumers—the more the competition, the better the quality and/or prices. Sole source purchasing, permitted with public-private partnerships, sticks it to consumers (the public, you and me), because there is no competition.

Lesson: Government, don't stick it to the public. 

3. Horticulture 101: Rotten lemons come in all shapes and sizes. 

Lesson: Rotten lemons aren't good regardless of their shape or size.

4. History 101: Not all voters are fools.

"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." - Abraham Lincoln

Lesson: Some voters who are aren't fools are watching.

5. Common Sense 101: Make sure that someone(s) is minding the store.

Lesson: Government, who's minding the store?


It all seems pretty simple.

keep your eye on the ball

http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/sports/County-executive-candidates3-13-2014

• It isn't about politics.
• It isn't about the race for Montgomery County Executive.

• It's about the severely flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center.
• It's about "widespread cracking in the slabs, beams and girders on the second and third floors of the building."
• It's about slabs that are more than one inch thinner than the 10 inches thick called for in construction documents.
• It's about no expansion joints in the 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC, even though standard construction practice and WMATA construction standards call for expansion joints. According to WMATA's criteria, to which the SSTC was supposed to have been designed and built, expansion joints are to be spaced no more than 100 ft. apart.
• It's about 250 underdesigned beams.
• It's about watered down, understrength concrete, and lack of heat during curing.
• It's about exposed reinforcement and missing reinforcement.
• It's about suspect concrete test reports that show exactly the same test readings.
• It's about why Montgomery County, with its fulltime, on-site, construction management team and periodic visits by other County employees, didn't deal with the extensive concrete cracking sooner, before the SSTC was almost complete.
• It's about how and why Montgomery County selected the SSTC's contractor/builder, engineer/designer and concrete inspection/testing firm and Special Quality Inspector.
• It's about why Montgomery County is proceeding with tens of millions of dollars in repairs to the brand new, $120+ million (so far) yet-to-be-opened SSTC without holding public meetings to explain to the public what the County is doing and why, and to allow the public to ask questions and make their comments on the public record.

It's easy to become distracted with a 3-ring circus. We need to keep our eyes on the ball; we need snwers to our questions, including: 

• Is the SSTC safe? 
• Why has so much public money been wasted on the SSTC?
• Will, as WMATA's engineers claim, future operation and maintainence costs for the SSTC be exorbitantly high because of the SSTC's numerous construction flaws, resulting in even more public money being wasted on the SSTC?

Do you believe in the tooth fairy?

Do you believe in the tooth fairy? Easter bunny? Santa Claus? Public-private partnerships?

The seriously flawed, over-budget, overdue, $120+ million Silver Spring Transit Center is a public-private partnership. Tens of millions in repairs are being spent on the severely cracked, under-designed, problem-plagued, glorified parking garage before it even opens. 

The contractor/builder for the SSTC was selected by Montgomery County MD, instead of the SSTC being bid for construction, as has been standard practice for public works projects for decades. In choosing the SSTC's engineer/designer and concrete tester/inspector and Special Quality Inspector, Montgomery County didn't follow the decades' old, tried-and-true process for selecting professional service firms either. In the decades' old process, a request for qualifications from qualified professional services firms is advertised publicly. Dozens of firms submit their qualifications. The firms are evaluated, shortlisted and interviewed. The firm deemed most qualified is then selected to submit a detailed work and cost proposal. A professional services contract for the project is then negotiated with that firm. The SSTC's contractor/builder, engineer/designer and concrete testing and inspection firm and Special Quality Inspector were selected using public-private partnership, instead of the normal competitive procurement processes that have been used for public works projects for decades.

Funding for the SSTC is 53% federal (FTA), 11% State (MMTA) and 36% Montgomery County. How much of the $120+ million spent so far, and the tens of millions of dollars spent in repairs so far, do you think that the public has saved because Montgomery County used the noncompetitive, public-private partnership to select the contractor/builder, the engineer/designer and the concrete inspection/testing firm and Special Quality Inspector for the SSTC? ... What’s that you say? ... “a lot”? ... “some”? ... "it would have cost the same (noncompetitive and comptetitive)"? ... I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I’d like to sell you.

FTA's non-answer to my question

A MONTH after asking my question, this is what I get:

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"  

SNAFU... FUBAR... I'm not holding my breath. This looks like the old federal run-around to me.

nice try--no kewpie doll

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/county-exec-candidate-duncan-says-time-for-answers-on-silver-spring-transit-center/2014/03/06/a01c4b20-a561-11e3-84d4-e59b1709222c_story.html

“His (Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett) spokesman, Patrick Lacefield, said in a statement: ’This is nothing more than the previous County Executive playing politics by seeking publicity for his campaign.’”

No, Mr. Lacefield, you’re wrong. It’s about a LOT more than politics. It’s about the $120+ million, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened, seriously flawed Silver Spring Transit Center, and how it got to be that way. It’s about lack of expansion joints and extensive concrete cracking. It’s about slabs that are more than an inch thinner than what’s called for in the plans. It’s about watered down concrete and multiple concrete test reports that show identical test results. It’s about 250 under-designed beams. It’s about how Montgomery County chose the contractor/builder, instead of bidding the project for construction, as has been standard practice for public works projects for decades. It's about how the County chose the engineer/designer and the concrete tester/inspector and Special Quality Inspector in a different way (public-private partnership) than is normally used in school and other public works projects. It's about why Montgomery County, with its full-time, on-site construction management team of County employees, and periodic visits by other County and WMATA personnel, didn't deal with the severe concrete cracking earlier, before construction was almost compete. It’s about spending the public's money, and Montgomery County not briefing the public about the tens of millions of dollars in repairs that are needed before the brand new Silver Spring Transit Center even opens. It’s about not facing the public and answering their questions about the SSTC’s safety and future maintenance costs, and taking the public's comments on the public record.

Nice try, Mr. Lacefield--no kewpie doll.

Yes, Mr. Duncan, it's time for answers.

Federal Transit Administration: SNAFU? FUBAR? or both?

Today, March 6, 2014, I received my third "automatically generated email" response to a question that I asked the Federal Transit Administration on February 8, 2014 using the "Contact Us" feature on the FTA's website:

From  Automated Email Notification <FTA> fta.sqlexecserv@dot.govhide details  
To  rkoenigsc 
Thu, Mar 6, 2014 12:00 am

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. 

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?

The answer to your question requires additional research. We are currently working towards providing an answer to your question and will be in contact with you soon.

If you have any difficulty accessing the Contact Us Tool, please contact DOT IT Services at 1-866-466-5221.

I received my first "automatically generated email" on Feb. 8. It acknowledged that the FTA received my question.

I received my second "automatically generated email" (update) on Feb. 28. Except for the date, it is identical to the "automatically generated email" that I received today (March 6).

Is anybody home at the FTA? Or is the FTA like the IRS--they don't answer questions from citizens. 

The US government is on autopilot. Small wonder that millions of dollars have been and are being wasted on the Silver Spring Transit Center.

Decades ago US sailors developed two acronyms that describe the situation with the federal government and the Silver Spring Transit Center perfectly: (1) SNAFU: Situation Normal--All Fouled Up ("cleaned up" version) and (2) FUBAR: Fouled Up Beyond ALL Recognition" ("cleaned up" version).

Accountability

Perhaps more disturbing than the seriously flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened, $120+ million Silver Spring Transit Center itself are the public statements of Montgomery County politicians, the failure of the media to report the story “in-depth” and the failure of the taxpaying public to hold Montgomery County, the media and themselves accountable for their failures.

Hundreds of stories have been written about the ill-fated SSTC since we learned a year ago that it is severely flawed, over-budget and in need of millions of dollars in repairs before it even opens. Numerous press releases and public statements by Montgomery County officials regarding the safety of the SSTC, and absolving Montgomery County of any responsibility for the disaster, have gone unchallenged by the media. Montgomery County presses ahead with millions of dollars in repairs to the brand new transit center without explaining to the public what they are doing and why, and the media and the public sit idly by.

We have no one to blame but ourselves if Montgomery County officials succeed in “spinning” the facts and diverting responsibility for the ill-fated SSTC from themselves. Likewise, we have no one to blame but ourselves if the media fails to provide “in-depth coverage” and to ask “probing questions”, that the media so highly touts.

We are to blame if public money is wasted, if the media fails to report the story “in-depth” and to ask "probing questions", and if Montgomery County remains unaccountable for its actions, because we let them get away with it.

"All that is needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing."

Edmund Burke