Silver Spring Transit Center Report: Public At Risk From Falling Concrete

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) -- A new report on Silver Spring Transit Center warns that the public will be at increased risk from falling concrete chunks unless interior beams and girders are reinforced.

The report commissioned by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett calls for reinforcement and rigorous inspections after the opening. But fixes could further delay the project and add at least $7 million to the $120 million cost.

Problems in the three-level concrete structure that will handle 240 buses each hour have produced cracking. Based on a 2013 study, county officials have said it is an issue of durability, not safety. But the new report calls it a structural integrity issue and a potential safety issue for the general public.

Leggett says it is up to Metro, which will operate the center, to decide.

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