News media and the Silver Spring Transit Center

In March 2013 a report was made public that documents serious design and construction flaws with the brand new, yet-to-be-opened, $130+ million Silver Spring Transit Center. The report reveals that:

• The SSTC’s two supported concrete decks are severely and extensively cracked
• in some areas deck slabs are more than an inch thinner than what they’re supposed to be
• exposed reinforcement
• missing reinforcement
• hundreds of concrete beams are under-designed
• in-situ tests reveal that nearly 40% more water than called for was added to concrete in some places
• requirements for cold weather concrete curing were not followed
• the 315 ft. by 580 ft. SSTC has no expansion joints, even though standard construction practice and WMATA design and construction standards require expansion joints for structures exposed to temperature changes (WMATA standards require that expansion joints be placed no farther than 100 ft. apart)
• etc.

The report blames the severe design and construction flaws on errors and omissions by the SSTC’s engineer/designer, contractor/builder, and concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector.

Since March 2013 news media (print, TV, radio, internet) have reported hundreds of stories about the severely flawed SSTC. None of these stories report why and how Montgomery County, MD chose Parsons Brinkerhoff to design the SSTC, Foulger Pratt to build it and Balter Company to provide concrete inspection and testing services.

• Why wasn’t the SSTC bid for construction, which is standard practice for large public works projects?
• Why weren’t the engineer/designer and concrete inspector/tester selected using the normal competitive selection process used for most public works projects?
• Were political contribution$ involved?
• Is the SSTC's public-private partnership a glaring example of crony capitalism? at the public's expense?

Montgomery County is making repairs ($10+ million) to the severely flawed, yet-to-be-opened SSTC. 

• Why? The public was promised a brand new, unflawed transit center, not a flawed, repaired one.
• Why didn’t Montgomery County, the Federal Transit Administration (53% federal funding) and/or the Maryland Transit Administration (11% state funding) hold public meetings so that the public, who are paying for the SSTC, can ask their questions and provide their comments on the public record?

News media have failed to provide answers to these important questions. However, news media have reported all of Montgomery County’s outrageous press releases and public statements unchallenged, including “The SSTC will absolutely be safe.” The fact is that no one can guarantee that the SSTC will be absolutely safe any more than they can predict the future. And yet news media report Montgomery County’s outrageous claim without challenge.

• Why?
• Are news media lazy?
• Are news media conspiring with government to suppress the truth?
• Both?

Regardless of reasons why, news media have failed miserably to report this story "in-depth", or to ask "probing questions", as they claim that they do. 

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