By Phillip Matier And Andrew Ross
Nothing comes cheap at the new Bay Bridge eastern span - including tests on those suspect rods and bolts, which have clocked in at $20 million - and counting.
"It is what it is," said Randy Rentschler, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, repeating the agency's all-but-official mantra to revelations of new costs popping up on the $6.4 billion span.
The tests began last year after a third of the 96 high-strength rods on two bridge seismic stabilizers snapped, leading to questions about the strength of more than 2,000 other high-strength steel fasteners.
It cost $26 million just to engineer a fix for the rods that snapped, and almost a year later, Caltrans, the designer and the contractors are still fighting over their share of the tab.
The tests to see whether those 2,000-plus additional rods and bolts are safe are all being paid from public coffers.
The most expensive one involved sinking 17 of the 3-foot-long steel fasteners in saltwater - mimicking the marine conditions on the bridge - then twisting them until they snapped. The more pressure it took to snap, the better the bolt.
The good news is that the bolts and rods passed the test.
The bad news: More tests are still needed before officials can declare the steel fasteners safe - and the public can stop worrying about having to spend tens of millions of dollars to replace them.
"It is what it is," said Randy Rentschler, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, repeating the agency's all-but-official mantra to revelations of new costs popping up on the $6.4 billion span.
It cost $26 million just to engineer a fix for the rods that snapped, and almost a year later, Caltrans, the designer and the contractors are still fighting over their share of the tab.
The tests to see whether those 2,000-plus additional rods and bolts are safe are all being paid from public coffers.
The most expensive one involved sinking 17 of the 3-foot-long steel fasteners in saltwater - mimicking the marine conditions on the bridge - then twisting them until they snapped. The more pressure it took to snap, the better the bolt.
The good news is that the bolts and rods passed the test.
The bad news: More tests are still needed before officials can declare the steel fasteners safe - and the public can stop worrying about having to spend tens of millions of dollars to replace them.
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