When the news broke last week that the Internal Revenue Service had inappropriately reviewed the tax-exempt status of various far-right groups, an immediate cry went out for heads to roll — and they did, as acting IRS Commissioner Steven T. Miller was ousted Wednesday. It was a natural and rational response to a profound breach of public trust.
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The Federal Highway Administration on Monday said it is investigating California’s response to broken steel seismic safety rods on the new span of the Bay Bridge.
Spokesman Doug Hecox said the agency has launched its review after it received a request by state bridge officials, but it did not have an idea of how long the probe would take. The agency will examine Caltrans’ conclusion about the cause of the rod failure and the state’s recommended fix.
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The new Bay Bridge span has issues that need to be fully and adequately addressed before the eastern section opens to vehicular traffic. While local, state and federal officials should work in an expedited manner, they should not rush to meet the artificial deadline of a holiday weekend for any grand opening ceremonies.
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Fixing a batch of broken bolts on the new Bay Bridge could cost up to $10 million, but it’s still unknown if that work will affect the opening date — and it’s likely Gov. Jerry Brown will make the call on when the structure is ready for traffic.
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Transportation officials are scheduled to announce Wednesday a fix for broken bolts on the new span of the Bay Bridge, but it may still be too early to say whether the work will be done in time for the planned Labor Day opening.
In March, inspectors found that 32 steel rods that are used for seismic safety had fractured during tightening. The bolts were part of a batch of 96 from an Ohio-based manufacturer, who also provided 192 rods in 2010.
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Transportation officials said Wednesday that it is still too early to determine if a batch of broken bolts on the new Bay Bridge eastern span will prevent the planned Labor Day opening, since major answers about the repairs are still two weeks away.
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Last year, Bay Area motorists could glance up at huge billboards complaining, “Bay Bridge: 100% Foreign Steel” — part of a campaign launched by domestic manufacturers and union groups.
The messages were intended to shame Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the state agencies that own and operate the structure, for purchasing steel from China for the bridge’s new self-anchored suspension span.
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Bay Bridge officials conceded Wednesday that a lack of quality control led to the installation of at least 30 steel rods in the new eastern span that are now damaged and need to be repaired.
In total, 288 threaded steel rods were encased in concrete atop two towers rising out of the water. The roadway section of the new self-anchored suspension span is bolted to the rods to help stabilize the structure in the event of an earthquake.Of the 100 rods surveyed by Caltrans this month, nearly one-third have been found to be deficient.
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Devil’s Slide, a coastal section of state Highway 1 in San Mateo County notorious for rock slides and traffic accidents, will finally be replaced with something a bit more angelic.
Decades in the making, two new tunnels are expected to officially open Tuesday as part of a $439 million transportation project to provide a more reliable link between the towns of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay.
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Local residents hoping to find out about the latest Bay Bridge construction work, closures and other news will not be able to do so on the span’s snazzy website, which has been shuttered after the dissolution of a public relations contract.
With its litany of explanatory videos, graphics and in-depth analysis of ongoing projects, www.baybridgeinfo.org often served as a useful resource for folks interested in the latest happenings on the span.
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