The cost of constructing Silver Spring’s transit center is running on the high side — $16.7 million over the original price tag, according to the director of Silver Spring’s regional center.
Engineers and architects have put the transit center’s design through the wringer, performing “value engineering” to trim costs, Gary Stith told Silver Spring’s transportation committee Monday night.
Still, the county’s contractor estimates a $91 million tab, $16.7 million more than the original $74 million projection, Stith said. Reps for MoCo exec Ike Leggett hollered at the county council on Tuesday for the extra cash, with a public hearing schedule for mid July.
“Something in that capital budget is going to get bumped,” warned Dale Tibbitts, an aide to council member Marc Elrich (D-At large). “That’ll be one of the discussions at the council.”
The transit center, to be built by the Silver Spring Metro station, hit a snag last June, when the county’s planning board complained about the center’s utilitarian, value-engineered look.
“One way to encourage mass transit is to make it a pleasant experience,” commissioner Wendy Perdue said last summer. “Nothing about this project would suggest a pleasant experience.”
The three-tiered transit hub will have bus stops on its first and second tiers, and space for taxis and drop-offs on the top level, according to the department of public works and transportation.
Construction is slated to start in September, the regional center’s Stith said.
Images courtesy of the department of public works.
August 21, 2008
13 Comments at "Silver Spring transit center in a fiscal hole"
They are never going to build that transit center, just like the civic center, libray and Fillmore. Another Montgomery county failed project.
We will, however, have another coffee shop and hair salon by the end of the year.
And the new coffee shop will no doubt be another Starbucks!
The proposed transit center has such a cheap (enough with the “value engineered” verbiage) look to it. I say that we find a way to get enough money to build a transit center that really stands out. We can start by getting rid of the ice-skating rink that is planned for the future Veteran’s Plaza and use the money from that project on the new transit center.
Yes they need to scrap that ice rink of which they are not in a rush to build anyway and use that toward a more modern and cutting edge look to the transit center. SS Station’s layout is very old school and its dangerous out there at night, not to mention that concrete park at the top with the plethora of homeless people and peddlers.
Are they still putting two office towers on top of the station? Where can I see a better image of the plans, that design illstration is confusing. I saw a plan a while back and it looked like Bethesda’s design with offices on top.
The entire Silver Spring Metro Station must be a safe area for metro passengers. Right now the bus stops, and especially the taxi waiting area, are very dangerous late at night (as recent events demonstrate). The new transit center must make it safe for people coming back at night to wait for buses and taxis without fear of muggers.
Personally, there have been plenty of times that I and the missus have driven into D.C. rather than metro because we know that coming back late to the Silver Spring metro means either a dangerous walk home, or an almost equally dangerous attempt to get a taxi. That is an intolerable situation, moreso for people who rely upon public transportation.
I’m pro ice rink so I’d rather see that stay, but I do agree that we can do much better with the transit center than what proposed. The proposed design is not open at all but a closed monstrosity. Between this and the recent revisiting of the SS Library design, it looks like people are taking a second look at designs that were pushed through just to get the project done. In my view, its going to take forever to build them anyway, so we might as well get it done right.
No matter what though, the current SS Metro design needs its refurbishing sooner than later. The horrible design that currently exists causes major gridlock when buses must travel across four lanes of traffic to exit the metro station.
Easley, you are right. Especially with Montgomery County’s notorius construction pace, it will take a while for the projects to finish but we need them at least start this year. We have been talking about this transit center for several years now and still no progress in site.
Springvale is so right about the current stations unsafe quality at night, I used to dred being stuck there waiting for buses at night with all those sketchy people up by the parks.
Editor’s note: This comment was edited for content. — JD (Jun 24, 2008)
This isn’t necessarily related to the post, but I’ve been wondering about this for a while: when it says that a comment or a user name has been “edited for content,” what does that mean? How extensive are the edits and why are they done?
Just curious.
Thanks for your question, StuckNose. Another Penguin reader (who shall remain nameless) asked me the same question via email. Here was my response:
Comments go through the wringer when they contain libelous, slanderous or incendiary content. That stuff gets deleted, NOT rewritten or paraphrased. Your college creative-writing teacher doesn’t work here.
As far as screen names go, those are edited sometimes to avoid confusion (eg, when two individual readers use the same screen name).
Why do they put a first rate transit center in Bethesda that developers pay for with air-rights development back in the mid 1980’s and Silver Spring is stuck with a third rate inner city bus station. Can’t wait for the day that I can afford to move to Downtown Bethesda.
Editor’s note: This comment was edited for content. — JD (Jun 29, 2008)
What’s up with this Jennifer bitch. Anytime she doesn’t like a comment, no matter how appropriate it is, she has to have some input. She didn’t even edit it. Some of these women are really obsessive compulsive.
Editor’s note: Tisk, tisk, JoshB. No trolls allowed. — JD (Jul 2, 2008)
Holler back.