Silver Spring station (Maryland)

On September 26, 2008,[6] there was a groundbreaking ceremony that took place at the Silver Spring Metro Station, as construction of the Silver Spring Transit Center was about to begin two days later. On September 28, 2008,[6] both the original Silver Spring Metro Station Bus Bay where all WMATA Metrobus, Montgomery County Ride-On, and Shuttle UM Bus Routes originally stopped at, as well as the original Silver Spring Metro Station Kiss & Ride Lot were demolished, in order to make room for the construction of the Silver Spring Transit Center. As a result, all bus route terminals were temporarily rerouted to the side streets near the Silver Spring Metro Station until the Silver Spring Transit Center opened. The facility has 34 bays for Metro, Ride-on Buses, Shuttle-UM, "Kiss and Ride" access, Metrorail, and MARC train service. Its increased capacity is expected to ease the implementation of the Purple Line. The Transit Center will also mark the location for the future northern terminus of the Metropolitan Branch Trail, which heads southbound to Union Station. The transit center is named for former U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes.[7]

The complex was subject to construction problems and the schedule was extensively delayed.[8]

On March 19, 2013, an engineering firm engaged by Montgomery County to investigate the defects issued a report that indicated "significant and serious design and construction defects, including excessive cracking, missing post-tensioning cables, inadequate reinforcing steel, and concrete of insufficient strength and thickness."[9]

In May 2014, repairs were announced to begin for the summer with the hope of completing them in time to open by early 2015,[10] but after two months they had not resumed.

The facility was transferred from Montgomery County to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in August 2015 after the completion of renovations,[11] and opened on September 20, 2015, five years behind schedule.[12]

The Silver Spring station is also home to Penguin Rush Hour, a 100-by-8-foot (30.5 by 2.4 m) mural painted by Sally Callmer Thompson, depicting penguins as Metro customers during rush hour.[13] Although originally intended to be a temporary exhibit, the mural placed at the station in the early 1990s has become a symbol of the downtown area of Silver Spring. In 2004, the Silver Spring Regional Center, a county government facility, commissioned the original artist to restore the mural, which was damaged by the elements and missing sections, for approximately $30,000. In 2004-2005, the mural was removed for the restoration, with the promise that it would be returned by the end of 2005.[14] Subsequently, the county decided to postpone re-installation of the mural until completion of the new transit center.[15] In March 2017 a digital copy of the mural, printed on aluminum sheets for durability, was installed at the transit center.[16]