We're 25 days out from the most-generous deadline for completion of the conversion of the plaza-to-bus-bays escalator to an old-fashioned staircase at the Bethesda Metro station. A large tarp is draped over where the escalator has been removed.
But a closer look underneath finds just rebar, and some initial parts of forms for the eventual pouring of the new concrete stairs. WMATA has promised this project would be completed in the summer of 2022, and that still appears possible by the technical end of summer, the first day of autumn on September 22.
This is so pathetic.
ReplyDeleteCompare it to the Empire State Building: "The Empire State Building was structurally completed on April 11, 1931, twelve days ahead of schedule and 410 days after construction commenced."
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building)
They finished a whole skyscraper in 410 days 91 years ago and it's taking this long for a single escalator to staircase conversion. Again, pathetic.
Why they are changing it to a staircase?
ReplyDelete10:05: The escalator broke down often because it did not have a canopy to protect it from the weather. My understanding is that the staircase is an interim solution because WMATA did not want to spend on a canopy, and that the whole plaza area will be demolished and upgraded when 4 Bethesda Metro Center is constructed there.
ReplyDeleteNote to self: Do not hire Metro contractors to repair staircase from sidewalk.
ReplyDeleteYou can bet someone is making bank off this. Metro is so corrupt and bleeds money from the citizenry. Do you think that they would let this happen in China? Hmm? No chance.
ReplyDeleteThey have their act together. They'd get killed if they didn't do the work on time. We are so laisse faire here.
@5:37am Back when men were men and wanted to work...hard with quality, when projects weren't a "jobs program" disguised as a public transit system in what is arguably the most powerful city in the world bumbled by the often threatening an powerful Amalgamated Union.
ReplyDeleteNew sign just went up today. “Winter 2022” is the new estimated completion date. Thanks WMATA
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