KTVU Learns Of New Problems That Could Add Costs And Delays To New Bay Bridge Span

[Newsjock]

Source: KTVU

... Now Channel 2 News has learned that next Wednesday, state and local transportation officials are set to announce a new round of potentially big delays and cost overruns.

Instead of opening all the westbound lanes to San Francisco on the new bridge by December 2012, engineers now say the opening will be delayed by at least six months. What's more, the delay will cost $50 to $100 million.

Officials involved with the bridge project told us the root of the problem lies on the docks of Shanghai, China. Caltrans is relying on a Chinese manufacturer to fabricate the steel for the new bridge.

The first major shipment of that steel was scheduled to arrive last year. But now at best it will leave Shanghai before the end of this month, more than a year late.

The problem? The welds. Caltrans, which normally inspects about 20 per cent of a project's welds has found so many problems it now is inspecting 80 per cent before accepting the finished product.

Read more: http://www.ktvu.com/news/21872210/detail.html?tsp=1

[proud patriot]

1. lovely

x(

[NYC_SKP]

2. Shit. We should have quite a number of out of work American welders... n/t

[XemaSab]

3. Why are we not inspecting 100% of the welds?

:shrug:

[hunter]

4. Maybe twenty percent are bad...

... don't want to "inspect" the bad welds now, do we?

I agree, 80% vs. 100% sure smells rotten.