Silver Spring Transit Center: common sense

Consider two identical brand new concrete structures. Both are built with the same plans at the same time in the same location--right next to each other.

One of the concrete structures cracks during construction. The other doesn't crack during construction; but, it cracks after construction, when external loads are applied.

What does this tell you?

The cracks that occur in the structure when external loads are applied are obviously load-related. Such would be the case if the structure is inadequately designed for torsion. The external loads would cause the inadequately reinforced (for torsion) structure to crack. In such a case the cracks are more likely to be local. For example, cracks resulting from inadequate reinforcement for torsion will typically appear near a free edge, where external walls or adequately reinforced (for torsion) edge beams are not present. Such cracking would typically not spread beyond the free edge to interior columns.

However, cracks that occur in the other identical structure during construction, before external loads are applied, are obviously due to something other than external loads. Such would be the case if the structure was inadequately designed for temperature change, i.e. has NO expansion/contraction joints. Cracking in a large structure without expansion/contraction joints would not be restricted to just one part of the structure, e.g. slabs or beams, but would be present throughout--slabs, beams, girders and columns.

Cracks in the yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center appeared during construction before external loads are applied. They are extensive. Slabs, beams, girders and columns are severely cracked. It's obvious that these cracks are not the result of torsion. Torsion occurs when external loads (fully loaded buses) are applied. The widespread cracking in the unopened Silver Spring Transit Center are the result of something else: temperature changes and the complete lack of expansion/contraction joints, bad concrete, poor construction, woefully inadequate design (inadequate reinforcement for the structure to hold itself up), or all of the above.

SSTC logo

Silver Spring Transit Center: more questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So many questions; so few answers.

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

The untold story of the Silver Spring Transit Center

In March 2013 Montgomery County posted a report on its website that documented serious design and construction flaws in the yet-to-be-opened, $130+ million Silver Spring Transit Center. The 315 ft. by 580 ft. glorified concrete parking garage's decks, beams, girders and columns are seriously cracked.

Other serious design and construction flaws are identified in the report, including deck slabs more than an inch thinner than what they're supposed to be, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, the SSTC's total lack of expansion/contraction joints, etc. Montgomery County's report blames the SSTC's serious design and construction flaws on "errors and omissions" by the SSTC's builder/contractor, design engineer and concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector.

Much of the media's (print, TV, radio, internet) coverage of this story has revolved around politics--Republicans blame Democrats, etc. However, the SSTC isn't a story about politics. 

• The SSTC is a story about serious failures in design and construction of a public work. 
• The SSTC is a story about how government has wasted taxpayer money. (53% of the funding for the SSTC are federal funds, meaning ALL taxpayers, from coast to coast, are paying for this seriously flawed lemon. 11% are MD funds and the remaining 36% are Montgomery County funds.)
• The SSTC is a story about public safety for those who will use it--if it ever opens.
• The SSTC is a story about government accountability in protecting the public's investment and their safety.
• The SSTC is a story about how government deviated from the tried and true, competitive methods for selecting a contractor (bids) and for selecting a design engineer and a concrete inspector and tester (multiple firms competing for the project).

The REAL story of the SSTC has yet to be told in the hundreds of media reports over the past year and a half. The real story of how and why Montgomery County selected the SSTC's contractor/builder, the design engineer and the concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector has not been made pubic.

Another BIG public works project is proceeding on the heels of the SSTC--METRO's Purple Line. Like the SSTC, the Purple Line is proceeding as a public-private partnership, where builder, engineer and inspectors will be selected by politicians and bureaucrats, rather than competing for the project. 

Will more taxpayer money be wasted on the Purple Line with its public-private partnership? 

Time will tell.

Ray Koenig Jr. was born Dec. 30, 1946 in Washington DC. He is the oldest son of Ray Koenig Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Kammerer Koenig, who raised their six children (4 girls and 2 boys) in Arlington VA. Ray Koenig Sr. had a land surveying business in Bethesda Md. 

Mary Elizabeth Kammerer was born and raised in Washington DC, as were her parents. In his later years Adolph Kammerer, Mary Elizabeth’s father, lived with her sisters, Emma and Mildred, at the corner of Spring Street and Fairview Rd. in Silver Spring MD. After Adolph died Emma and Mildred moved to nearby Ballard St.

Ray Koenig Jr. graduated from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington in 1964. He graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering in 1968. In 1973 he was first licensed as a professional engineer (PE) in Washington DC. He was subsequently licensed to practice engineering in eight other states (VA, MD, SC, PA, DE, WV, NC, GA). In 1974 he was first licensed as a professional land surveyor (PLS) in Virginia, and in 1975 he was licensed to practice land surveying in Maryland. During most of his 40+ yr. career Ray Koenig Jr. worked for consulting engineering firms in metropolitan Washington DC. From 1973 to 1976 Ray Koenig Sr. and Ray Koenig Jr. worked together at A. Raymond Koenig and Sons in Bethesda MD.

Ray Koenig Jr. married Jenny Marie Johnston of Arlington VA in 1966. They raised their four children (Michelle, Ken, Karen, and Cheryl) in northern VA. Ray and Jenny are now retired and live in northern Virginia near their three daughters. They have two grandsons, Kyle (19) and Jeremy (2).

Ray Koenig Jr. has several blogs in which he uses his pseudonym, PEretired.

Kyle T. Evans and grandfather Ray Koenig Jr. at Nats Park

The Silver Spring Transit Center and the professor

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/as-repairs-continue-still-no-opening-date-for-long-delayed-silver-spring-transit-center/2014/08/16/09eeaeac-22f4-11e4-8593-da634b334390_story.html#

My reply to "OldestMan"'s comment to the article:

"...protecting the public interest..."?  Uh, that would be no one. 

Such a deal! Not only do county (36%), state (11%) and federal (53%) taxpayers get a “repaired” transit center for what’s supposed to be a brand new, unflawed transit center; but, they also get to pay for the repairs too. And, taxpayers also get to pay increased annual operation, maintenance and inspection costs resulting from the “errors and omissions”. Taxpayers even get to pay for remedial Structures 101 starring the venerable old professor and his "errors and omissions" students.  The SSTC is the gift that just keeps on giving.

A question for the professor: Your report says that the 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has no expansion/contraction joints, despite the fact that WMATA requires expansion/contraction joints be spaced no more than 100 ft. apart. And, despite the fact that the SSTC was supposed to have been designed and built to WMATA standards. The question is: Will the repairs that you are making “fix” the SSTC’s lack of expansion/contraction joints, and the resulting cracking, or will the SSTC continue to crack after your “repairs” are made?

and, the follow-up:

"uncompassionate", or "misinformed"? no thanks to politicians, bureaucrats (e.g. MoCo (including their consultants), WMATA, Federal Transit Administration, Maryland Transit Administration) and media who keep saying that "the SSTC will absolutely be safe" despite the fact that they can't predict the future and despite the fact that they lack the qualifications to speak on such matters. particularly galling is the media who tout that they cover the news "in depth" and "ask probing questions". There's been none of that with the SSTC. Not once in all the coverage of this story have I seen media question how and why the SSTC wasn't bid for construction, as most large public works projects are, or why the engineer and the concrete inspector/tester and special quality control inspector were selected without using the normal open competitive process for selecting professional service firms for public works projects. "Public-private partnership", a.k.a. crony capitalism. If the media doesn't report these things, then how is one to know? ... Oh, that's right! The government will tell them. ... or not.

and another follow-up:

The County can't have it both ways. 1. The County took on construction management for the project with a full time team of County employees on site during construction. If the County felt that construction management for this project was beyond their capability, then the County should have hired a construction manager before construction began, instead of waiting until the problems show up and then say that the project is too much for their expertise. 2. A basic County responsibility is to approve all construction within the County. This is true everywhere.

and:

I made my share of mistakes during my career; I owned up to all of them. … For the design engineer (PB), the builder (Foulger-Pratt), the concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector (Balter), the owner (MoCo), WMATA and the construction manager (MoCo) to overlook expansion/contraction joints in a 315 ft. by 580 ft. outdoor structure that’s supposed to have expansion/contraction joints spaced no farther than 100 ft. apart (a WMATA and contract requirement) is a real whopper.

and:

As someone who's been involved in projects costing $100+ million, you're aware that it's commonplace to have a qualified construction management firm, who is neither the design engineer nor the GC, manage the construction of the project for the owner, in this case Montgomery County. The person or persons at Montgomery County who decided not to hire an independent construction manager for the SSTC (choosing instead to place a team of fulltime County employees on the site during construction) made a horrible decision that cost taxpayers millions. That person or persons should be held accountable for their poor decision.  

Why the Silver Spring Transit Center cracked, and will continue to crack

updated 8/7/14

Why did the Silver Spring Transit Center crack?
Why will it continue to crack?
The answers to these questions are really quite simple. They were known long, LONG before the SSTC was designed and built.

http://nrmca.org/aboutconcrete/cips/42p.pdf

"Thermal cracking occurs due to excessive temperature differences within a concrete structure or its surroundings. The temperature difference causes the cooler portion to contract more than the warmer portion (or the warmer portion to expand more than the cooler portion), which restrains the contraction (or expansion). Thermal cracks appear when the restraint results in tensile stresses that exceed the in-place concrete tensile strength."

"Concrete members will expand and contract when exposed to hot and cold temperatures, respectively. Cracking will occur if this bulk volume change resulting from temperature variations is restrained. This is sometimes called temperature cracking and is a later age and longer term issue."

"Expansion joints and spacing between joints have to be designed to withstand such temperature induced expansion and contraction to prevent cracking."

"The key to reducing thermal or temperature-related cracking is to recognize when it might occur and to take steps to minimize it. A thermal control plan that is tailored to the specific requirements of the project specification is recommended. ... A large part of the responsibility to minimize thermal cracking lies with the designer and contractor. Steps include establishing the concrete mixture, specification limits for temperature of concrete as delivered and in the structure, insulating the structure and termination of protective measures, and in critical conditions, post-cooling of structural members."

"The key to reducing thermal cracking is good communication between the designer, contractor, and concrete producer."

WMATA design and construction standards, to which the SSTC was supposed to have been designed and constructed, require expansion/contraction joints to be located no farther than 100 feet apart. The 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has NONE.

Montgomery County's "fixes" for the severely cracked SSTC are a latex concrete overlay and exterior reinforcement for under-designed beams. These "fixes" do not address the source of the cracking problem--the SSTC's complete lack of expansion/contraction joints. 

The SSTC's severe cracking was made public in a report released by Montgomery County in March 2013. Since then hundreds of news media reports (print, TV, radio, internet) have failed to report that Montgomery County's "fixes" do not address the source of the cracking problem--that is, the SSTC's complete lack of expansion/contraction joints.

The SSTC will continue to crack in the future.

Do you find it ironic that the source of the document referenced above (http://nrmca.org/aboutconcrete/cips/42p.pdf) is the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, 900 Spring Street, Silver Spring, MD? I do; particularly since my aunts' and grandfather's house, that I visited often as a boy, was located right across Colesville Road at the corner of Spring Street and Fairview Road. (Their house is gone now, replaced by a commercial building.) 

When have you seen cracks like these in a brand new building that hasn't even opened yet? In this case, a glorified parking garage that hasn't seen its first car or fully loaded bus? 

Since before 2012 when it first began, Montgomery County, WMATA, the Federal Transit Administration and the Maryland Transit Administration have known about the SSTC's severe cracking. 

In their March 2013 report KCE Structural Engineers, the Washington DC firm that Montgomery County commissioned to investigate the SSTC's severe cracking, identified that the 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has NO expansion/contraction joints. KCE notes in their report that the SSTC was supposed to have been designed and built according to WMATA specifications, which require expansion/contraction joints to be located no more than 100 ft. apart.

Nevertheless, Montgomery County proceeds with "repairs" that won't fix the source of the problem--the SSTC's complete lack of expansion/contraction joints. The SSTC will continue to crack in the future. At the least the SSTC will be expensive to maintain; and, at worst, the SSTC is a threat to public safety. 

• Why haven't news media asked officials from Montgomery County (including Isiah Leggett and members of the County Council), from the Federal Transit Administration (53% federal funding) and from the Maryland Transit Administration (11% state) why they are "fixing" the lemon SSTC, when the public was promised a brand new, unflawed transit center? 
• Why haven't news media asked Montgomery County officials why they chose Foulger Pratt to build the SSTC, instead of bidding it for construction (like most large public works projects)? 
• Why haven't news media asked Montgomery County officials why they selected Parsons Brinkerhoff to design the SSTC and Balter Company to inspect and test concrete, instead of selecting a design engineering firm and a concrete inspection/testing firm and special quality inspector in open competition? 
• Why haven't news media asked Montgomery County officials why they proceeded with repairs to the SSTC without briefing the public on what the County is doing, and why, and taking the public's questions and comments on the public record?
• Why haven't news media asked officials from Montgomery County, from the FTA and from the MTA if they consider the SSTC public-private partnership to be a good deal for the public, whose money they've spent designing, building and "fixing" the brand new, yet-to-be-opened, severely flawed, $130+ million, lemon SSTC?

******************************************************************
UPDATE
8/7/14

http://pileofsteamingbs.blogspot.com/2014/08/dont-worry-silver-spring-transit-center.html

the Silver Spring Transit Center and fooling most of the people

Updated
7/18/14

In the shadow of his memorial, the immortal words of our revered 16th president ring true. 

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.”

No, not those words. These words: 

“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.”

That’s exactly what’s happened with the Silver Spring Transit Center. Blame it on government "spin", lazy, inept news media, a gullible and/or apathetic public, or all four; most “all of the people” have been fooled into believing Montgomery County’s  unchallenged press releases and public statements concerning the lemon Silver Spring Transit Center.

At the top of the list are the often-repeated statements by Montgomery County officials that "the SSTC will absolutely be safe.”  Since no one can predict the future, this one should be a no-brainer. Yet most ”all of the people" have bought into Montgomery County's nonsensical statement "the SSTC will absolutely be safe" hook, line and sinker.

Also, because of often-repeated and well-publicized statements by Montgomery County officials, most “all of the people" have also been fooled into believing that Montgomery County bears no responsibility for the lemon SSTC. Montgomery County’s executive, council, and staff, their paid consultant, KCE, their pro bono experts, and Montgomery County's IG would have us believe that it’s all the fault of the SSTC’s builder/contractor, Foulger Pratt, engineer/designer, Parsons Brinkerhoff, and concrete inspector/tester and special quality consultant, Balter Company.  Again, a no-brainer. 
Whose project is the lemon SSTC? 
Montgomery County's.
Who has responsibility to inspect and approve all construction in the County?
Montgomery County. 
Who had a full-time construction management team of County employees on site during construction? 
Montgomery County. 
Who had other County employees periodically inspect the work? 
Montgomery County. 
Last, but not least, who selected Foulger Pratt to build the SSTC, Parsons Brinkerhoff to design it, and Balter Company to inspect and test concrete? 
Montgomery County.

And then there are repairs to the brand new, yet-to-be-opened, lemon SSTC. Repairs?!? The people were promised a brand new, unflawed, transit center, not a flawed, repaired one. Another no-brainer. And, the repairs that Montgomery County are making (latex concrete overlay and exterior reinforcement for under-designed beams) don't even address the source of the cracking: the 315 ft. x 580 ft. lemon SSTC's complete lack of expansion joints. Standard design and construction practice requires expansion joints for 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 spaced no farther than 100 ft. apart. The SSTC has none! Small wonder that it's cracked! That it will continue to crack without expansion joints is another no-brainer. 

Holy moly! The $130+ million SSTC is a lemon--pure and simple--a no-brainer!

Yes, President Lincoln, you're correct. 
“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.”

*************************************************************************
UPDATE
7/18/14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4hj_tbjITo
Is there a reporter in the house? ANY reporter in the houise who will ask Mr. Leggett:

• why Montgomery County is making repairs to the yet-to-be-opened, severely flawed SSTC when the public was promised a BRAND NEW, UNFLAWED transit center?
• why Montgomery County chose Foulger Pratt to build the SSTC (instead of bidding it for construction, like most public works projects)?
• Why Montgomery County chose Parsons Brinkerhoff to design the SSTC rather than use the normal competitive process for selecting an engineer for a public works project?
• Why Montgomery County chose Balter Company to inspect and test concrete instead of using the normal competitive process for selecting a concrete testing company for a public works project?
• Were political "contribution$" part of the selection process?
• Whatever happened to the promise that you made to get an account set up, funded by the private companies who are responsible for the SSTC's flaws, to pay for repairs to the SSTC?

There are many, MANY, more questions that could be asked where honest answers to them would shed more light on the SSTC debacle; but, there isn't a reporter anywhere in the region who will ask them. 

Where are you, Woodward & Bernstein, when we need you???

What news media haven't reported is the rest of the iceberg.

Silver Spring Transit Center: videos

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82HhnCzC6IY     (11/30/2013)
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyyVJQmMewo     (12/21/2013)
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31bAYkx9eBY     (01/28/2014)

Silver Spring Transit Center: no news

originally posted 6/28/14
updated 7/4/14

It's been more than a month since there's been any news on the Silver Spring Transit Center. It's been more than a year since KCE's report was released containing numerous, serious design and construction flaws with the yet-to-be-opened, under "repair", $130+ million, lemon SSTC. Yet, there are MANY unanswered questions. For example:

• Why did Montgomery County select Foulger Pratt to build the SSTC, Parsons Brinkerhoff to design it and Balter Co. to provide concrete inspection and testing? Why didn't Montgomery County use normal competitive processes for selecting a builder (bid), an engineer and a concrete inspector/tester for this public works project? Were "political contribution$" part of Montgomery County's selection process, i.e. crony capitalism?    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crony_capitalism
• Why is Montgomery County making "repairs" to what's supposed to be a brand new, unflawed transit center? especially since the "repairs" don't address the source of the severe cracking? The 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has NO expansion/contraction joints, despite the fact that standard design and construction practice is to provide expansion/contraction joints for structures exposed to temperature changes, And, WMATA design and construction standards, to which the SSTC was supposed to have been designed and constructed, require expansion/contraction joints to be spaced no more than 100 feet apart.    http://www.structuremag.org/article.aspx?articleID=1145  
• Why didn't Montgomery County, the Federal Transit Administration (53% federal funding) and the Maryland Transit Administration (11% state funding) hold public meetings to explain to the public why they are making "repairs" to the brand new, overdue, over-budget, seriously flawed, lemon SSTC? Why didn't they provide the opportunity for those who are paying for the SSTC (the public) to ask their questions (e.g., "why are you making "repairs" that don't address the source(s) of the problem(s)?") and to make their comments on the public record?    http://peretiredwhistleblower.blogspot.com/2014/07/why-do-structures-collapse.html 

Yet, in more than a year since the serious flaws with the SSTC became public, and hundreds of news media reports (print, TV, radio, internet) since, NOT ONE has addressed these questions. Contrast this with tropical storm Arthur where news media spent HUNDREDS of hours whipping the public into a veritable frenzy. for what?!? for nothing.

Why? Are news media just lazy? reporting weather multiple times each day in nauseating detail, potholes, "analysis", promoting themselves, etc.; but, they don't report "in-depth" or ask "probing questions" on a major story like the SSTC? even though news media tout that they report "in-depth" and ask "probing questions"? 

Are news media cooperating with government that doesn't want the public to know the answers to our questions? 

No news is bad news.

Silver Spring Transit Center: how it happened, who’s at fault and who pays

originally posted June 13, 2014
expanded on June 27, 2014

How it happened

1 – Government of the people, by the people and for the people, hereinafter referred to as “Government”, decides that "We the People" need a new transit center.

2 – Government is owner, financier (using We the People’s $) and self-appointed design and construction manager for the new transit center. Government is solely responsible for managing all aspects connected with planning (location, size, cost, etc.), design, financing and construction of the new transit center.

3 – As owner and design manager, Government selects an engineer to design the new transit center. Rather than selecting the engineer using the open, competitive selection process that has been used for decades for public works projects, Government selects the engineer sole source. Public-private partnerships, a.k.a. crony capitalism, a relatively recent invention of Government, are allowed, because Government makes all the rules. Government likes public-private partnerships for obvious reasons--Government can reward their cronies for their $upport.. 

Design for the new transit center proceeds.

4 – As owner and construction manager, Government selects a builder and a concrete inspector/tester for the new transit center. Rather than bidding the new transit center for construction, the decades-old, tried-and-true, competitive process for building public works projects, Government selects the builder and the concrete inspector/tester sole source--crony capitali$m. 

Construction for the new transit center proceeds.

5 – As owner and financier, Government arranges the financing for the new transit center. NO PROBLEM! Government has unlimited $, using We the People's $.

6 – OOOPS! There’s a problem(s)… BIG problems! As owner and design and construction manager, Government selects another engineer (see #3, #4 & #5) to look into the problem(s). The second engineer blames the BIG problems on “errors and omissions” by the transit center’s builder, (original) engineer and concrete inspector/tester.

Who’s at fault? 

Clearly the builder, the (original) engineer and the concrete inspector/tester are at fault. 
But, what about Government? 

• Owner AND design and construction manager, solely responsible for managing all aspects connected with planning, design, financing and construction for the new transit center. 
• Government, which selected the builder, the engineer and the concrete inspector/tester for the new transit center, who made the BIG “errors and omissions”. 
• Government, which didn’t use the normal competitive processes for selecting a builder, an engineer and a concrete inspector/tester for a public works project. 

Isn’t Government responsible too? 
Of course Government is responsible too! 

Who pays?

Who pays for the lemon transit center with all of its BIG problems? the supposed-to-be brand new, flawless transit center?
Why, We the People, do! 
Of course!

What do you have to say for yourselves, Montgomery County, Maryland Transit Administration and Federal Transit Administration? Why do you continue to make repairs, wasting We the People's $, because the repairs that you're making don't address the source(s) of the problem(s) (in particular, the SSTC's complete lack of expansion/contraction joints)?  What do you have to say, Government of the People, by the People and for the People, about your failure to hold public meetings to brief We the People on what you're doing (making expensive repairs to a supposed-to-be brand new SSTC) and why you're doing them (because they don't address the sources of the problems)? What do you have to say about your failure to give We the People the opportunity to ask our questions and to make our comments on the public record? What do you have to say about Government's responsibility to be good stewards of We the People's $? 

What do you have to say for yourselves, news media (print, TV, radio, internet)? Why have you failed, in more than a year reporting this story, with hundreds of stories that contain Montgomery County press releases and public statements from Montgomery County officials, but haven't reported "in-depth" or asked "probing questions", that you so highly tout? Your silence in June (NO new news through June 27) is deafening. Your failure to report the SSTC story-behind-the-story "in-depth" and to ask Montgomery County "probing questions", along with Montgomery County's failure to explain to the public why they selected the builder, the engineer and the concrete inspector/tester without using the normal competitive process for public works projects, is shameful.

On a personal note, it's been frustrating to read and listen to all the "experts" make public statements regarding the safety of the SSTC, and other matters, while lacking basic technical knowledge on the subject--"talking through their hats". Public officials making public statements, especially regarding the safety of the SSTC, should KNOW that their public statements are technically accurate BEFORE they make them. If public officials lack the technical knowledge in construction and engineering to know that the public statements that they make are accurate, then IMHO they shouldn't make them.

The news media have reported numerous times that David Dise, Director of the Montgomery County Department of General Services, says: “The SSTC will absolutely be safe”. HOGWASH! Dise can't guarantee that the SSTC will be safe, any more than ANYONE can predict the future. Dise may THINK that the SSTC will be absolutely safe; but, he doesn’t KNOW that the SSTC will be absolutely safe. It’s Dise’s OPINION that the SSTC will be safe. And, we all know what they say about opinions—they all stink. Stick to the FACTS, Mr. Dise. If you choose to make your OPINIONS public, then be clear to the public that it's your OPINION, NOT A FACT.


June 27, 2014

We, the People, won't know "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" until:

• We the People KNOW why Montgomery County selected the SSTC's builder, engineer and concrete inspector/tester without using competitive processes that are normally used for public works projects. Why wasn't the SSTC bid for construction (normal for public works projects)? Why weren't the engineer and the concrete inspector/tester selected using the normal competitive process for obtaining professional services? Were political "contribution$" part of Montgomery County's selection process for the SSTC?
• We the People understand that "The SSTC will absolutely be safe" is NOT a statement of fact, but rather, an OPINION.
• We the People KNOW why repairs directed by Montgomery County, and endorsed by its experts, do NOT address perhaps the biggest of the SSTC's flaws--that the SSTC has NO expansion/contraction joints. The normal standard of care for construction of structures exposed to temperature changes requires expansion/contraction joints. WMATA design and construction standards, to which the SSTC was supposed to have been designed and constructed, require them to be spaced no more than 100 feet apart. The 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has NONE. The lemon SSTC's severe cracking is likely the result of its complete lack of expansion/contraction joints, yet repairs (deck overlay and external steel bracing on beams) do not address the SSTC's TOTAL lack of expansion joints.
• We the People KNOW why Montgomery County, the Federal Transit Administration and the Maryland Transit Administration failed to hold public meetings where We the People could ask our questions and make our comments on the public record.
• There's an independent investigation into the whys and hows that the severely flawed, lemon Silver Spring Transit came to be, including why and how Government selected the builder, the engineer and the concrete inspector sole source (a.k.a. public-private partnership or crony capitlism) for this $100+ million (and rising), severely flawed public works project.

These are just for starters. There is MUCH more for We the People to learn before we'll KNOW "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth". Until we know "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth", We the People are being deceived by Government of the People, by the People, and for the People, with the help of lazy news media (print, TV, radio, internet) that have failed to report "in depth" and to ask "probing questions", that they so highly tout.

With respect to an independent investigation of the Silver Spring Transit Center debacle, needless to say, those connected with the lemon SSTC do not qualify as independent investigators. Also excluded from an independent investigation should be those connected with Montgomery County, Maryland Transit Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and anyone else who has done business, is doing business, or wants to do business with Montgomery County, MTA or FTA. This includes government and private business employees, including managers, and elected government overseers, including politicians running for office, who influence, or can influence, awards of public contracts.


Why is all of this important? Because, if We the People are getting hosed because of cozy deals (*) between Government of the People, by the People and for the People and their private business cronies, who provide them with sweet deals (*) at our expense, and even more importantly, if public safety is at risk because of these cozy deals (*), then We the People sure don't want to be allowing Government of the People, by the People and for the People to continue its crony capitalism, at We the People's expense, with another public-private partnership on the Purple Line. 

    * "You scratch my back ($ for my campaign), and I'll scratch yours (public works contract)."
       "You scratch my back (public works contract), and I'll scratch yours (company job 
         after you retire from government)." 

Shame on the news media (print, TV, radio, internet) for not reporting this story "in-depth" and for not asking "probing questions" that news media brag about.

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing." 
Edmund Burke

The Silver Spring Transit Center is simply unacceptable

The Silver Spring Transit Center is simply unacceptable.

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

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

• Engineering design (Parsons Brinkerhoff)

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

• Concrete inspection and testing (Balter Co,)

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

• Cost 

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

• Metro patrons

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

• Taxpayers

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

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

Silver Spring Transit Center: no news is no news

Search "Silver Spring Transit Center" on the internet and you will find a lot of... nothing new.

The brand new, yet-to-be-opened, $120+ million Silver Spring Transit Center, only yards away from the D.C./MD line, is severely cracked from stem to stern. Big story? But there's more. Not only is the SSTC severely cracked, but also:

• slabs are thinner than they're supposed to be
• some reinforcement is exposed while other reinforcement is missing 
• suspect concrete test reports show exactly the same test values for multiple samples
• concrete was exposed to freezing temperatures during curing
• in situ tests show 37% more water than called for was added to the concrete mix
• beams are under-designed
• 3-inch thick pieces of concrete have fallen from the building
• expansion/contraction joints, which should have been placed every 100 feet or less, are totally missing in the 315 ft. by 580 ft. transit center
• etc.

A March 2013 report commissioned by Montgomery County blames the SSTC's serious flaws on errors and omissions by the contractor/builder, the engineer/designer and the concrete inspection/testing firm.

That was more than a year ago. One would think that more than a year later that the news media would have asked Montgomery County how and why they selected the SSTC's contractor/builder, engineer/designer and concrete inspection/testing firm. Not so. The news media (print, TV, radio, internet) have reported all of Montgomery County's press releases and public statements by County officials; but, they have failed to ask the County why and how all of this happened in the first place, starting with why and how the County selected the builder, engineer and concrete testing firm. 

All the while the news media tout how they report "in depth" and ask "probing questions". 

Baloney. No news is no news.

Silver Spring Transit Center: missing the obvious

Why do Montgomery County and its experts continue to miss the obvious?

More than a year ago Montgomery County released a report that it commissioned to address widespread cracking in slabs, beams, girders and columns at the yet-to-be-opened, severely flawed Silver Spring Transit Center. The report identifies the SSTC's total lack of expansion/contraction joints as a major defect. The report says that despite WMATA's requirement that expansion joints be located no more than 100 feet apart, the 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has NONE. 

An article in Structure Magazine explains why expansion joints are necessary in parking garages:
http://www.structuremag.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/C-StrucDesign-Iqbal-Oct101.pdf
"The purpose of an expansion joint is to reduce build-up of volume change (VC) stresses and the associated structural distress. An expansion joint is considered a necessary evil because omitting an expansion joint where it is needed creates a risk of structural distress."
Hence, the widespread concrete cracking.

Yet, for whatever reason(s), Montgomery County and its experts continue to fail to address the obvious. Ongoing repairs (2-inch thick latex concrete overlay and external steel braces on cracked beams where, according to Engineering News Record, 3-inch thick pieces of concrete have fallen) don't address the obvious problem (the SSTC's total lack of expansion/contraction joints).

Unfortunately, Montgomery County didn't hold public meetings to explain to the paying public what it is doing and why. We're ALL paying for the $120+ million, severely flawed, lemon SSTC; funding is 53% federal, 11% state and 36% county.  Unfortunate as well is the news media's (print, TV, radio, internet) lack of "in-depth" coverage and "probing questions", that they so highly tout. 

Because of the news media's poor coverage and because neither Montgomery County, the Federal Transit Administration, nor the Maryland Transit Administration held public meetings where the public could ask their questions and make their comments on the public record, we don't know why Montgomery County and its experts continue to miss the obvious.

In an interview ( http://www.mymcmedia.org/valerie-ervin-on-silver-spring-transit-center-video/ )
former Montgomery County councilwoman Valerie Ervin said "... 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)".  

Politics is one thing; public safety, government waste and government deception are another.