The Sacramento Bee, which has been out in front reporting construction problems with the East Span of the Bay Bridge, has a new scoop saying that a special team within Caltrans has uncovered more pervasive problems than earlier believed. Doctored data and other issues with testing for structural integrity go beyond the Bay Bridge, calling into question work on three other Bay Area spans: the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, Dumbarton Bridge and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.
An excerpt:
The engineers' assessment follows assertions by California Department of Transportation officials that their tests were valid and that the Bay Bridge is safe. It identified at least 23 cases of suspect radiation test data used to approve the reinforced concrete foundations of the Bay Bridge, Benicia-Martinez Bridge, Dumbarton Bridge and Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, according to state and federal reports and emails.
The engineers said the records for those spans should be analyzed further.
Image: Baybridgeinfo.org
