Photo by Rich Renomeron.

At last, the long-delayed, over-budget Silver Spring Transit Center finally has a target opening date.

Metro announced today that they received a formal request from Montgomery County executives to transfer the Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center to them to finally integrate it into the regional transit system. Metro now has 10 days to accept the $112 million train-bus hub, which looks like they’re going to do as they’re currently targeting an opening date of Sunday, September 20.

More than four years behind schedule and tens of millions of dollars over budget, the Silver Spring Transit Center has long been a blunder for Montgomery County. After initial completion, an inspection of the massive concrete transit hub found it to be unsafe and in need of significant repairs, mostly due to foundation cracking and a severe lack of supporting steel beams.

Earlier this month, officials announced that the transit center is pretty much finished, but there would be at least another two months before it opens as the process of passing it over to Metro would be, as the Post put it, “a slow-motion passing of the baton.”

Barring any significant developments, Metrorail and Metrobus riders will finally be able to take advantage of the ambitious project, which will improve “connectivity between Metrorail, Metrobus, MARC Rail, Ride On Bus, intercity buses, and taxis” at the Silver Spring Metro station.