There's something else wrong with steel rods that could ultimately cause massive destruction and death on the new span of the Bay Bridge, and it's going to take a few more million dollars to fix. As the Chron and others are reporting today, bridge inspectors discovered the new issue a few months ago, and it has to do with "kinking" and vibrating.
I'll let them explain:
Steel rods that anchor the Bay Bridge eastern span's massive main cable have shifted since they were installed and are now perilously close to sharp-edged plates inside the belly of the new bridge, a problem Caltrans acknowledges could take months and millions of dollars to fix.Caltrans engineers say more than 200 high-strength rods could be jerked in a major earthquake into those sharp edges, risking damage to the main cable and possibly threatening the bridge's stability.
The reason for the problem is that the contractor asked to make some holes wider around these rods, which inadvertently allowed them to move around too much.
The possible failures they're worried about would be in the main cable anchoring sections of the bridge and are therefore critical. Furthermore, Caltrans' chief engineer Brian Maroney gets technical on us:
"I don't want a sharp corner of the (steel) stiffener coming into contact with the rod," Maroney said. "The rod will move, then bend. The sharp edge on the bent steel creates a kink, a change in the angle that causes high stress. You don't want to do that."It does need to be resolved," he said. "If you have an earthquake, these things start to vibrate. You don't want kinking at a sharp point on the edge of stiffener."
The solution is going to involve some nut tightening, and possibly some hole widening. Because we don't need kinking. No sir. Maybe they'll be greasing these rods too.
It's not clear when the work to fix the problem will begin, but it should be complete by the end of the year, or by October when the bridge gets turned over to the control of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The cost for the work will be around $2 million, and will come out of the bridge's $85 million contingency fund.
Previously: Caltrans' Latest Bay Bridge Fix: Just Put Some Grease On It
What's Wrong With The New Bay Bridge Now?
