Stowe, Pa.-based Universal Concrete Products, which supplied hundreds of defective precast panels for the $2.7 billion Silver Line light rail extension in northern Virginia, has received a three-year ban on participating in federally financed transportation projects. Imposed by the Federal Transit Administration, the ban makes Universal ineligible for contracts, grants, loans or other financial assistance from agency of the federal government until the end of 2023.
Universal manufactured more than 1,500 precast exterior wall panels for the project’s five above-ground stations under a $6.1 million contract with Capital Rail Constructors (CRC), a design-build team led by Clark Construction Group and Kiewit Infrastructure South that is constructing the 11.5-mile extension of Washington, DC’s Metrorail system for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA). CRC’s quality control checks during the panels’ initial installation in 2017 revealed numerous instances of high water content and low air entrainment, potentially compromising long-term durability. In addition, 65 panels that failed to meet the specified 1.5-in concrete coating over rebar were replaced.