Population growth in city centers has spurred the expansion and new construction of direct current (DC) powered transit systems throughout the world1. Despite stringent design criteria, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) monitored construction practices and ongoing track maintenance, it is a fact that DC stray current will eventually occur and negatively impact buried and/or submerged metallic structures immediately adjacent and within the transit right-of-way (ROW)2. In combination with other methods to reduce stray current such as high track-to-earth (TTE) resistance values and shorter distances between substations, transit agencies are specifying the welding of reinforced steel structures within their purview such as retaining walls and footings, approach slabs, aerial inverts, and bridge abutments to prevent stray current from reducing the design life of surrounding metallic
structures.