Posted on 05/04/2005 6:48:42 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Welds on the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge are not faulty as had been alleged by former welders who claimed the work was dangerously unsafe, the Federal Highway Administration said Wednesday.
Private inspectors hired by the Federal Highway Administration have been cutting out sections of steel foundation work in the Bay Bridge to test for the allegedly faulty welding.
The agency reported Wednesday it found no evidence of shoddy, unsafe welds.
The FBI, the Federal Highway Administration and state attorney general's office began several weeks ago investigating allegations by former project welders that they were ordered to cover up substandard welds on a skyway under construction. Their allegations were made public in a story published by the Oakland Tribune.
The contractor, a joint venture known as KFM, and Caltrans consistently denied the allegations.
"The Federal Highway Administration statement today affirming safe construction of the Bay Bridge is good news for motorists," Caltrans Director Will Kempton said in a statement. "Rigorous protocols at Caltrans have produced more than 300,000 pages of documentation confirming that every weld has been inspected."
KFM spokesman Chris Lehane said the welds have also passed independent inspections performed by contractors outside the federal government's inspections.
"To date, there have now been a number of inspections by outside independent welding experts that have all come to the same conclusion," Lehane said. "The welds are good welds."
Is this the same Lehane that is a Clinton fartcatcher?
Yup.
It is costing them 80K a day for the bridge delay.
The experts said the welds on 4 of the piers they checked are excellent.
The original reporter from the Oakland Tribune says they looked at a very small percentage of the welds, and supposedly only welds made after the allegations of shoddy welds were checked. The FBI is not thru probing.
It ain't over 'til Maria ('Fat Lady') sings and smashes the champagne bottle on aRnie's head and traffic rolls across the new span.. ;-)
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