MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL RO C K V I L L E , M AR Y L A N D

RO GER BER LIN ER CH A IRM AN

CO UNC ILMEMBER TRANS POR TAT IO N , IN FR ASTR UC TURE

D IS TR IC T 1 ENER GY & EN V IR O NMEN T COMM ITTEE

STELLA B. WERNER OFFICE BUILDING 100 MARYLAND AVENUE, 6TH FLOOR, ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND 20850

240-777-7828 OR 240-777-7900, TTY 240-777-7914, FAX 240-777-7989 WWW.MONTGOMERYCOUNTYMD.GOV

September 1, 2015

Al Roshdieh

Acting Director

Montgomery County Department of Transportation

101 Monroe Street, 10th Floor

Rockville, MD 20850

Dear Acting Director Roshdieh,

I am writing today concerning a troubling development reported in the Washington Post on August 30

regarding numerous county sidewalks that have been quickly deteriorating and “scaling.” This trend not only

raises safety and aesthetic concerns for neighbors, but also diminishes public confidence in our ability to provide

basic core services to our residents.

Our County, with the Department of Transportation as the lead agency, needs to take significant and timely

steps to address this issue. In the Post story, it was reported that corrections might take 12 to 18 months. That is

simply far too long. We need our Department of Transportation to commit to a shorter timeline to provide the

necessary fixes.

Moving forward, we need to do more to improve oversight of our public projects to ensure that taxpayer

dollars are being used efficiently. I would ask you to provide me with a detailed assessment of what has gone

wrong and what the Department will do to improve the quality of work in the future. I would ask that this

assessment be prepared in two weeks.

Our residents expect the county government to deliver basic services—road and sidewalk repair, tree

maintenance, and snow removal—efficiently and affordably. While the issues with these sidewalks concrete may

be the result of improper concrete mix, errors by contractors, or the use of chemicals by residents, it is your

department's responsibility to take whatever steps necessary to address the current failings and prevent future

issues of this nature from arising.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Roger Berliner

Councilmember, District 1

Chair, Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy, and Environment

Committee

CC: Keith Compton, Chief, Division of Highway Services, DOT