Transit Center Repairs Go Forward Despite County and WMATA Disagreements

When it comes to the Silver Spring Transit Center, both Montgomery County and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority agree on the center's structural integrity and safety, but that seems to be one of the few things they agree on at the moment.

WMATA representatives came before the County Council in Rockville once again on Tuesday to discuss their concerns about the anticipated maintenance burden that will fall to WMATA as the center’s operator once it opens.

“We have a structure that is cracking and continuing to crack - without seeing any load on it,”  said Tom Robinson, deputy chief engineer for WMATA’s track, structures, and facilities division.

WMATA does not want to move forward with remediation plans without first determining why this cracking is occurring, Robinson said.

But the root cause of the cracking has already been identified, said David Dise, director of the county’s Department of General Services, and a joint work group (including WMATA representatives) is working on a remediation plan involving the surface overlay on the center’s decks. Dise anticipates a report from this work group by the end of the week or early next week, he told the council.

Meanwhile, the county is moving forward with work on what it sees as a separate aspect of remediation work on the center - repairing the pour strips, guides placed inside a concrete form to direct the flow of concrete.

The county gave the go-ahead to contractor Folger-Pratt in mid-July, and workers are presently on site preparing to do repairs, Dise said.