Posted on 06/08/2018 3:20:41 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Ron Tutor, chief executive of Tutor Perini, said the redesign was not his firms fault...
We designed it and they approved it and then they changed their minds, Tutor said. They had a change of heart.
At least three other bullet train bridges in the Central Valley used the same design as the Avenue 8 bridge and are now being redesigned, according to a January rail authority status update, raising questions about whether potentially more costly designs will be required in the future. The previous design for Avenue 8, using what is known as mechanically stabilized earth walls, is generally considered cheaper than the new design, using cast in place abutments.
The rail authority has acknowledged that it is behind schedule and facing sharply escalating costs, but a new team of executives who took over earlier this year has vowed to make improvements to the execution of the program and re-establish its credibility as the project comes under the leadership of a new governor next year.
Engineering experts say the bridge errors shows such changes are badly needed.
Having to tear down work and redesign it is an early warning sign of lack of program management, said Robert Bea, an emeritus civil engineering professor at UC Berkeley and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. It is very unusual. It is not common.
The original bridge design had a retaining wall built with mechanically stabilized earth, which uses horizontal layers of reinforcement fabric to hold up retaining walls and concrete support pillars. Rail authority documents say that thousands of cubic yards of soil were brought in to build the bridge approaches. The new design has poured concrete abutments.
Mechanically stabilized earth structures are typically less costly to build than cast concrete systems, but have a high failure rate...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Why did they use Fast-Track construction?
Whats the rush?
With Fast-Track, there is added risk ($$$) for the owner.
Experience proves that's a thin line.
But what about the inspector to verify that the work was done to spec? (Believe me, I know of which I speak, hence my Freeper name ;-)
By the tiMe that train is ready, I wont want to go to Los Angeles anymore.
Wouldn’t it be more effective if we Fully Supported this stupid choo-choo?? I say this because so far every Judge in every case has blatantly IGNORED what the Proposition actually says and have allowed this boondoggle to continue.
I believe the best solution is to FULLY SUPPORT this train by putting a Citizens Initiative on the Ballot Mandating that ALL STATE OFFICES be Immediately relocated to FRESNO. Including All Courts. All these quisling Public employee’s and Public Servants can Ride that Train from Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to Fresno back and forth EVERYDAY.
1. Ready!
2. Fire!
3. Aim!
Bart : Mongo, why would Governor Brown care about where the choo-choo goes?
Mongo : Don’t know. Mongo only pawn in game of life.
A train not to “Nowwhere” ... it will run from Manteca to Fresno! And it should be a capacity crowd for every trip (but only if goats and cows and other livestock are allowed to purchase tickets and occupy seats).
Wasn’t the “Fast Track” approach used for that pedestrian bridge that recently collapsed in Florida?
I see the term ‘fast track’ applied to the Florida bridge collapse?
It is not clear to me if the reporter understands the term?
Simply stated, the plumber gets to install a few lengths of pipe and they turn the water on; with no plans for the second floor available.
thats tyranny at that point-when organized crime runs the whole show.
We came within a hairsbreadth of that in DC-if it hadn’t been for PDJT
DOJ has its work cut out -esp. in Illinois, California and New York
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