Caltrans can't find proof rods were inspected
Jaxon Van Derbeken | San Francisco Chronicle
Updated 11:10 pm, Sunday, June 30, 2013
Caltrans has no evidence it verified the quality of the hundreds of irreplaceable rods needed to anchor the tower of the new Bay Bridge eastern span or made sure the manufacturer hadn't left them vulnerable to cracking, officials acknowledge.Among thousands of documents about the safety of high-strength fasteners on the bridge, the agency cannot find any indication it inspected the manufacturer's plant - as required under Caltrans rules - or performed mandatory quality-assurance tests to prove that the rods met its standards before accepting them in 2007.
Long after the rods were installed, Caltrans discovered that the supplier, contrary to state instructions, had subjected the 24-foot-long fasteners to a process that could increase the chances they will fail.
It's the latest problem to beset bolts and rods on the $6.4 billion eastern span, which is scheduled to open to traffic Sept. 3. Caltrans has been conducting tests to determine whether 2,300 steel fasteners installed on the span are safe, and says it will decide by July 10 whether the opening will be delayed.
"The documentation problem is a concern," said Caltrans Chief Deputy Director Richard Land.
He stressed, however, that Caltrans officials see only a minimal danger that the rods will crack, because they are in a relatively dry environment and are not tightened to a degree that could shorten their life span.
Land also said that he's confident the documentation exists somewhere to prove the inspections were done, but that Caltrans simply can't find it.
"It's unfortunate we haven't been able to get our fingers on what we think exists," Land said. But he's sure inspectors would have done "a lot more than say, 'OK, oh well, go ahead and ship it.' "
Experts say Caltrans is normally a stickler for such paperwork.
"This is a high-profile project costing a huge amount of money," said Shakir Shatnawi, a former Caltrans engineer who is now a quality-assurance consultant for construction projects. "It should take a lot of attention. This doesn't seem right. Caltrans has its own independent lab and will only accept materials with a certificate of compliance."
Key job
The high-strength steel rods, each 3 or 4 inches in diameter, are installed at the base of the 525-foot tower on the self-anchored suspension span. Their function is to hold the giant structure to its foundation and resist the lateral forces that could otherwise destabilize it in an earthquake.
After 32 rods on the eastern span failed in March, Caltrans officials ordered a review of all similar parts. They removed a tower rod to be tested for possible problems after the quality-control paperwork couldn't be found.
Testing additional rods, however, is impractical, and replacing them is impossible. Space is tight because the tower was built atop the rods after they were installed. The steel fasteners have to be cut up to be removed and tested, and there is no room to install replacements.
Land said none of the tower rods has cracked so far, and that the quality-control mix-up "doesn't seem to have made a difference."
No visits to plant
The rods came from Vulcan Threaded Products. Caltrans inspectors never visited the Vulcan plant in Pelham, Ala., to ensure that the company was following the state's manufacturing instructions, Vulcan officials have said. Nor did they visit a Tennessee contractor, Tennessee Galvanizing Inc., that dipped the rods in molten zinc to protect them from rust - a process known as galvanization.
"Typical procedures for Caltrans would be to send an inspector to the source," said Thomas Young, a former Caltrans engineer who stressed that he does not have details of what happened on the Bay Bridge project.
The inspectors, he said, "validate that the materials are manufactured in accordance to Caltrans specifications, and the inspector will then certify the materials and issue a material certification tag."
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