Courthouse Square Transit Mall - Salem, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 44° 56.474 W 123° 02.171
10T E 497145 N 4976423
Public works disaster in Salem
Waymark Code: WMHPBJ
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 07/30/2013
Views: 20
The $34 million
Courthouse Square Transit Center was built in 2000 to serve as the central "hub" of Salem's bus system but has sat vacant and fenced off since 2010. It is the largest public works debacle in recent Salem history, having been shuttered due to problems with the concrete mix which rendered the center to be declared structurally unsound. The result was years of litigation with the contractor, eventually leading to a $1.8 million settlement. Additional information on the now $23 million remediation plan is available at this
link.
A news article about the lawsuit settlement read:
"Public officials in Salem have settled the last lawsuit over a combination office building-bus mall closed three years ago because of structural defects.
Courthouse Square is owned by Marion County and Salem-Keizer Transit. It opened in 2000, but occupants soon noted settling and structural problems.
In 2010, engineers found the problems worse than initially thought, and the building was closed.
The Salem Statesman Journal reports the county and the transit agency have agreed to a $605,000 settlement with Century West Engineering Corp., which was responsible for the structural designs.
Lawsuits have collected about $12.5 million. The largest single settlement was $9.5 million from the insurer, Affiliated FM Insurance Co.
Courthouse Square is undergoing $23 million in repairs and is scheduled to reopen next year." - The Associated Press, March 15, 2013
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