In spite of a 2008 agreement for Metro to take control of the Silver Spring Transit Center, a Metro official says the company will not do so without seeing the results of new tests, according to The Washington Post.
The transit center is two years and millions of dollars over budget due to a series of problems, including weak and cracked concrete and a need for greater steel support in the roadway.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority agreed in 2008 to take over the center when it was completed. However, those issues, along with rising costs of maintenance, have caused the company to reconsider that commitment, the Post reported.
According to the Post, Metro's Assistant General Manager Rodrigo Bitar told the Montgomery County Council Tuesday they would need to perform more tests on the center. Metro wants a better sense of maintenance costs and potential future problems with the project.
There would be two new tests: one to see how waterproof the structure is, and one to ensure the strength of key beams and girders, according to the Post.
There is still no set date for when the center might open.
Currently scheduled repair work on the center will begin in July.
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