MEDIA SPOTLIGHT: “Dozens of steel bolts that are used to help hold together the new Mario M. Cuomo Bridge broke apart during construction, and there are allegations some leading workers tried to cover up the potential problem,” WNBC-TV reports. 

New York state attorney general Barbara Underwood reportedly is investigating the bolt issue and corruption allegations.

“Some engineers stressed there is no immediate safety issue, but they said cover-up allegations surrounding dozens of broken bolts have raised questions as to just how many of the 1 million bolts used on the bridge might need to be inspected or even replaced over time.”

“When I hear about false certification of documents it causes me great concern,” MIT engineering expert Thomas Eager told WNBC-TV. “Not that there is a real technical problem. There is a corruption problem.”

A former safety inspector turned whistleblower alleges that throughout construction, evidence of about 60 broken bolts was discarded and documents were falsified.

But the bridge builder refuted the allegations, WNBC-TV reports.

“To date, all bolt testing performed by multiple parties indicates there is not an issue with the bolts,” a spokeswoman for the bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors said. “Despite TZC’s continuous request that it be provided with any updated information concerning the quality of the A490 bolts, TZC has not been provided with, nor is it aware of any information that is contrary to these bolt testing results.”

State Thruway officials say they began testing and monitoring the bridge bolts in 2016, WNBC-TV reports.

“Well over a year ago, the Thruway Authority hired independent experts to check the safety of the bolts on the new bridge,” said spokeswoman Jennifer Givner. “After a thorough review, and before the first span of the new bridge opened to traffic, the independent experts concluded that the actual bolts and the bridge are safe.”

But the whistleblower has filed a lawsuit and enlisted experts who say hydrogen embrittlement could be causing some bolts to break, WNBC-TV reports.

Officials are concerned that if widespread hydrogen embrittlement or bolt cracking exists, many bolts will have to be replaced at an expense of tens of millions of dollars.

“A report by engineering firm Alta Vista said the more likely cause of the past broken bolt issue is pre-existing cracks in manufacturing in a small percentage of the bridge’s one million bolts.” 

A hydrogen embrittlement problem existed on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, where testing and repairs cost more than $50 million.

Editor’s Note: Articles in Media Spotlight are excerpts from publications or broadcasts that show the industry what the public is reading or hearing about fasteners and fastener companies.