6/25/2015 12:53:00 AM
NEWS BRIEFS
Report: San Francisco Bay Bridge Could Collapse Under Its Own Weight

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The new eastern span of San Francisco’s Bay Bridge carries some 270,000 cars every day, but now that cracks are appearing in the structural rods, experts have begun to question the bridge’s stability, the Inquisitir reports.

“New reports show support rods with cracks in them, and experts are beginning to wonder if the country’s second busiest bridge is as structurally sound as advertised,” according to the Inquisitir.

Berkeley engineer and corrosion expert Lisa Fulton told the San Francisco Chronicle the bridge could collapse without an earthquake.

“There doesn’t have to be a lot of force on those rods for them to break. That could indicate that we don’t need an earthquake for them to snap, that they are unreliable in the service loads that they are under now. It’s a portent of catastrophe.”

Originally billed at $1.1 billion, the new eastern span was scheduled to open in 2003, but construction delays ballooned costs to $6.4 billion and kept the bridge from opening until 2013, making it the most expensive public works project in California history.

The problem is the high strength steel structural tower rods designed to hold the bridge up and prevent it from collapsing in an earthquake, according to the Inquisitir.

“Nearly every fastener and support rod has been exposed to salt water from the bay, and they’re starting to crack and fail because of engineering problems.”

It’s the same construction problem that cost $45 million to fix in 2013 when Caltrans discovered 32 rods had failed after being allowed to sit in salt water, which allows the  hydrogen in the water to weakens high-strength steel.

The San Francisco Chronicle began exposing problems with the bridge’s stability years ago, but that failed stop officials from opening it despite the threats to public safety.

The Toll Bridge Project Oversight Committee says the new span is much safer than the old.

Experts continue to debate the safety of the Bay Bridge while repair estimates continue.