Controversy Erupts On Metro Silver Line, Lawsuit Filed: Report

The state of Virginia and the federal government have filed a lawsuit against a concrete manufacturer who is accused of providing defective panels for the second phase of the Metro's Silver Line expansion starting at Reston Town Center and stretching into Loudoun County, according to a report.

The Washington Post reports that the suit was filed on Monday and alleges that Universal Concrete Products of Stowe, Pa., lied and falsified documents in connection with the panels, knowingly providing panels that did not meet contract specifications. The firm is accused of then falsifying records that verified the quality of the precast panels.

Attorneys allege that Universal Concrete knew of the falsifications as far back as February 2016, but instead of dealing with the issue, management fired the whistleblower who wanted an audit, according to the report.

More than 1,500 panels were produced by the company. The panels were used for building exterior walls at five of the six new stations on the Silver Line, which extends from Reston and Herndon out to Dulles International Airport and beyond. The project costs an estimated $5.8 billion.

Universal Concrete was operating under a $6.1 million contract, according to the report. The suit seeks unspecified damages and civil penalties.

WTOP reported back in May that of the 1,569 precast concrete panels Universal Concrete Products had provided, 308 had too much water mixed into them, and 167 of those defective panels had already been installed.

Image: Patch staff