Montgomery County officials are weighing a lawsuit over a mistake that could mean rebuilding large sections of the Silver Spring Transit Center. The error by general contractor Foulger-Pratt and subcontractor Facchina Construction left more than half of the concrete on the second and third levels of the three-story facility either too thick or too thin, said County Council President Roger Berliner. The steel reinforcement bars also lack sufficient concrete coating, intended to protect the structure from weather-related deterioration.
The second level is the planned location of 32 bus bays for buses, while taxis and kiss-and-ride will be on the top level. Access to MARC and Metrorail trains will be available below.
Where it is too thin, the concrete has been flaking and cracking, said David Dise, director of the county’s Department of General Services. Where the concrete is too thick, it could become too heavy for the structure’s steel to support, he said.
Though there is no risk of the structure collapsing, the concrete does not meet standards for Metro or the American Concrete Institute. Metro will not use the $101 million facility until the error is fixed, spokesman Dan Stessel said earlier this month.
Construction crews may have to replace the problem areas, Dise said. “I cannot just pile more concrete on those sections. It would make for a pretty bumpy ride.”
The contract with Foulger-Pratt requires the company to pay for any repairs, Dise said.
The county does not know the extent of the damage. The results of a new analysis — expected in a month– probably will determine whether the county needs to take legal action, Berliner said.
The analysis will also help determine how long it will take to fix the problem, Dise said.
But Foulger-Pratt Principal Bryant Foulger said the concrete and steel used are stronger than required, so the structure will not suffer if the concrete is a little too thick or too thin, he said.
“We don’t think this will cause a delay,” he said, adding he has not looked through the data the county has collected.
