Posted on 12/30/2009 7:43:08 AM PST by SmithL
With much fanfare and celebration - by Chinese steelworkers and Caltrans officials alike - the first steel pieces of the new Bay Bridge suspension span were prepared to ship out of Shanghai on Tuesday - more than a year late but in time to meet a Dec. 31 deadline that officials hope will keep construction on schedule for a 2013 opening.
"It's momentous," said Ken Terpstra, Caltrans' project manager for the Bay Bridge, from Shanghai where workers staged a ceremony complete with daytime fireworks. "It was a hard, challenging road, but they're ready to go."
The first shipment, delayed by welding problems, includes eight huge wing-shaped deck pieces that will hang over Yerba Buena Island. They're expected to arrive in the Bay Area in about four weeks, depending on weather and sea conditions. After clearing customs inspections and being unbolted from the ship transporting them, they'll be lifted atop the temporary trestle north of the existing bridge and rolled into place.
"This is really big," said Bart Ney, a Caltrans spokesman, who was also in China. "We're literally kicking off the new year with the start of construction of the suspension span."
The steel was originally scheduled for delivery in October 2008 but troubles with welds on the prefabricated steel deck pieces caused repeated delays
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Treason! Why can we not provide the material???
Uh, wouldn’t the very French-looking John Kerry (who, by the way served in Vietnam) refer to this as OUT-SOURCING?? Oh, but the Bay Area Liberals probably refer to this as bringing DIVERSITY to the bridge! Pardon me. I’m so ignorant. I didn’t attend Haarrrrrrvrd ya see.
here’s how that stimulous money helps create infrastructure jobs! In China
My uncle owned a machine shop and got his steel from China....40 years ago!!
Word to the wise.
Stay away from the Bay Bridge if you value your life.
Where are Obama’s UNIONS on this? /LOL
My BIL’s summer job while he was in college was to hammer out the “Made in Korea” stamps on steel I-beams.
We’re in big trouble if the bridge pieces were constructed with the same quality workmanship they manufacture toys that are shipped to the USA.
It’s a Catch 22. California has no money because so many people are out of work and they put more people out of work by buying things from China.
Treason! Why can we not provide the material???
Good question for the U.S. steel workers. I wonder what the comparison of the “bennies” between the two “unions”
would be.
So is this going to be real steel? Or pot-metal surrounded by a steel outer cover?
Hey California A$$-holes, what’s wrong with U.S. Steel?
Better get the “Steel Certs” from them. It will help with litigation and warranty claims when this things falls into the bay.
'If profits be treason, make the most of it.'
International corporations do not salute the flag, they don't vote, they just use ample supplies of 'free speech' to control those in Washington who do vote.
Just imagine if prior to WW II we were dependent on Japan, Germany and China for our production.
RIP, Bethlehem Steel, 1857–2003.
Especially if "welding problems" delayed the shipment in the first place.
I heard rumors that the Bay Bridge failure earlier this year, which caused major traffic headaches all through the area, was due to a failure of Chinese-made steel parts used in the new S curve of the bridge.
Bethlehem steel had their own ships. I hauled Bethlehem steel from their plant on the East Coast to the West Coast and returned with NW grown & sawn lumber. All three are now gone.
Well at least they won’t be using Chinese sheet rock.
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