Breakfast links: Cracks in the process

by John Muller • October 19, 2011 9:09 am

Photo by Adam's Journey on Flickr.

ICC cracking: Less than a year after opening its first phase, the yet-unfinished Intercounty Connector is already showing signs of wear; hairline cracks were found at three bridges. (WTOP)

Emergency arises on redistricting bill: A DC Council bill to implement redistricting had a few flaws, which eagle-eyed cartographer Geoff Hatchard detected. 2 areas were inadvertently placed in 2 wards. (Post)

VDOT holding up Arlington CaBi: Arlington would be getting new Capital Bikeshare stations faster, but VDOT is taking a long time to sign off on the contract. Arlington now hopes to install them in the spring. (TheWashCycle)

What can we learn from Dream City?: DC is not the same city it was when Tom Sherwood and Harry Jaffe wrote Dream City, they say: it's "wealthier, whiter and whinier." But plenty has not changed. (Post)

Alexandria picks new city manager: Alexandria has appointed Rashad Young, 35, as its next City Manager. Young will be the first African-American in the post. (Patch)

Weed stores won't bring crime: Ward 5 residents are unhappy that legal marijuana dispensaries will disproportionately locate there. But some evidence says they don't draw crime as much as liquor stores or banks. (Housing Complex)

WMATA fights MoCo energy tax: To close a budget gap in FY2010, Montgomery County raised its business energy tax by 60%. Now, WMATA may take the county to court, as 2/3 of its energy costs in the county go to taxes. (Examiner)

And...: 6 riders on the 80 bus were injured in a crash involving a bulldozer. (Post) ... Driving with expired tags is no longer a criminal offense. (DCist) ... Power-wielding John Hill will step down as CEO of the Federal City Council next year. (WBJ)

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14 comments

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John Muller is a local journalist and historian. His first book, Frederick Douglass in Washington, DC: The Lion of Anacostia, was published by The History Press last year. John is now at work on Mark Twain in Washington, DC.

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Coincidentally, I know the photographer of the ICC photo you used today and was even with him when he took it. We were on a tour of the ICC at the time.

by Froggie on Oct 19, 2011 9:35 am • link • report

Of all of the tragic strands of Marion Barry''s life, one of the more interesting ones is how his career parallels the passing of civil rights figures from leadership roles in DC. Marion never understood how the City changed on him, and how it transitioned from the community being content with the black community getting its share of political power to actually demanding that its leaders do something with it.

by Crickey7 on Oct 19, 2011 9:40 am • link • report

A DC Council bill to implement redistricting had a few flaws

Which says something about the quality control of the legislative process in DC. Does anybody actually read, understand and check proposed legislation before it gets a vote? Other than GGW writers of course?

the bikeshare stuff seems to be confounding our friends at VDOT - especially their Richmond office.

You see? VA is better than DC. In Virginia, they seem to actually follow the rules and read shit before it's approved. Too bad understanding seems to be an issue.

Driving with expired tags is no longer a criminal offense.

Ah, Marion Barry working has to keep himself from committing more criminal offenses. Silvio Berlusconi could not have done it better himself.

by Jasper on Oct 19, 2011 9:51 am • link • report

Do that many trucks use the ICC?

by charlie on Oct 19, 2011 9:52 am • link • report

Cracks in concrete are not a sign of wear. In this case, it sounds like the cracks are a sign of defective concrete. In many other cases however, concrete will exhibit surface cracks that have little or no effect on the strength of the structure. (Most structural concrete is reinforced by a steel "cage" embedded in the concrete. The steel supports the structure in tension and shear, while the concrete supports the structure primarily in compression. Surface cracks in the concrete have little effect on the concrete's strength in compression and therefore do not impact the overall strength of the structure as long as the reinforcing steel remain sound and the structural member is not subject to excessive shear loads.)

by Alan on Oct 19, 2011 9:55 am • link • report

Weed stores aren't going to draw crime, they're going to draw low lifes and criminals which may or may not lead to crime depending on other circumstances.

by ahk on Oct 19, 2011 10:07 am • link • report

For the sake of editorial independence, you should probably mention that Geoff is a frequent GGW contributor.

by andrew on Oct 19, 2011 10:08 am • link • report

dont' cracks in concrete = water leaks = steel rebar starting to rust = lots more damage than visible?

by charlie on Oct 19, 2011 10:22 am • link • report

charlie,

That is the life of all concrete structures, this will happen; question is how fast.

by Rj on Oct 19, 2011 10:27 am • link • report

@akh
Absolutely false.
Obviously you didn't see the RAND study that found crime shot up in areas where dispensaries were closed down by Los Angeles (the study was 'mysteriously' withdrawn by RAND a couple weeks ago, just as Obama was breaking his promise and busting legal medical dispensaries. Nothing suspicious about that...)
So unless YOU can provide any facts to backup your FUD, please refrain from spreading falsehoods.

by jeez on Oct 19, 2011 10:32 am • link • report

I really need to buy some Frito Lay stock.

by spookiness on Oct 19, 2011 11:33 am • link • report

DC was very whiney in 1994. That hasn't changed as much as some other things.

by Rich on Oct 19, 2011 11:41 am • link • report

> dont' cracks in concrete = water leaks = steel rebar starting to rust = lots more damage than visible?

The modern practice is to coat the steel with a rust inhibitor before pouring the concrete. Galvanization is cheap and effective. Epoxy provides better protection at a higher cost. In extreme environments (for example, undersea), the reinforcing structure can be made of stainless steel.

by Alan on Oct 19, 2011 11:51 am • link • report

I'm really surprised that any government organizations, especially federal agencies, are paying Montgomery County's electricity tax. I understand that government agencies can (and should) pay fees that are necessary for utility maintenance, such as the WASA fee for improvements to the storm drain and sewer system.

From what I can glean from the article, however, this corporate electricity tax in Montgomery County is just that, a tax. Apparently the money goes directly to the county coffers and is being used to help close their budget gap. There's nothing to suggest that this is a fee used to help improve the electrical grid or pay for necessary maintenance. As such, Metro and the Feds should absolutely fight it.

by Adam L on Oct 19, 2011 12:51 pm • link • report