By KQED News Staff and Wires, KQED News Fix
Corrosion problems have plagued the construction of the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge for years before anchor bolts snapped in March, the Sacramento Bee’s Charles Pillar reported this weekend:
• Beginning in 2004, inspectors frequently warned Caltrans about water leaks and corrosion.
• Experts blamed water problems on design or construction errors. Leaks of grout – a cement-based filler that normally prevents or halts corrosion – between hundreds of ducts forced long construction delays that left steel tendons exposed, making further corrosion likely.
Update at 1:10 p.m: Caltrans has responded to the Sacramento Bee report: “All the Skyway tendons are stressed, properly grouted, and performing as designed and will do so for the next 150 years.”
Update at 10:15 a.m: Governor Jerry Brown said that he takes safety concerns about the Bay Bridge “very seriously, and that thing’s not going to open unless it’s ready.”
Read the complete story at KQED News Fix.
