# Criminal Probe of SF Bay Bridge East Span?



## The Davy Crockett (Jul 30, 2014)

As my Daddy use to say: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

I know some folks here think the new East Span of the SF Bay Bridge is an engineering marvel that America should be proud of. However, it is not that simple.

From the Sacramento Bee: State senator calls for criminal probe of Bay Bridge construction problems

From the article:



> State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, is calling for a criminal investigation into construction problems on the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and said the release this week of a Senate investigative report will show how the California Department of Transportation knowingly accepted substandard work at taxpayer expense.DeSaulnier said the investigation for the Transportation and Housing Committee he chairs will expand on construction and management lapses described in a January draft report, and that these warrant a criminal investigation by the California attorney general or U.S. attorney.
> 
> The report also confirms a June investigation by The Sacramento Bee that revealed how Caltrans knowingly accepted flawed, potentially hazardous work by a Chinese firm that welded most of the new suspension span roadway and tower, DeSaulnier said.
> 
> ...


And from the editorial page at "The Bee" on 7/30/14: Editorial: Two-and-a-half years, this issue is even more clear: Is the bridge safe:



> From its outward appearances, the gleaming new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is a marvel and an architectural wonder. But as we have learned since November 2011, its construction was troubled and the oversight process was deeply flawed.For more than 21/2 years, Sacramento Bee reporter Charles Piller has been digging into what happened during the construction of the $6.5 billion span, which replaced the double-deck eastern section that failed during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
> 
> Piller’s first story in late 2011 detailed how one bridge inspector had been disciplined repeatedly and falsified test results, and how his bosses papered it over. Appallingly, Caltrans allowed him to resign when he contested his firing.
> 
> ...


Yep, the ol' $6.5 *B*illion question. As my Daddy also use to say; "Geeze, it looks so good it must be right... ...just don't look too closely!"


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 30, 2014)

Sounds like California is following the NJ/NY Port Authority Mode of Operation!


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## The Davy Crockett (Jul 31, 2014)

jimhudson said:


> Sounds like California is following the NJ/NY Port Authority Mode of Operation!


Careful Jim! 

Or one of the moderators will claim we've gone political and toss this thread into the "Neverland" topic area! ^_^


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