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Latest SF Bridge Snafu Sparks Fear, Anger

Commuter inconvenience only most immediate after cable snaps

By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 28, 2009 8:39 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Today’s revelation that high winds caused a recent repair to come undone and shut down the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge for 24 hours—and counting—has area commuters worried not only for their safety but also about how well state officials are spending tax dollars in the ongoing construction of a second span. That project, begun after the 1989 earthquake, was supposed to be done by 2004 for $1.3 billion; that ETA is now 2013, for $7.2 billion.

“I thought I was going into the Bay,” a woman whose car spun out after she swerved to avoid tumbling debris from a repair job that shut the bridge down over Labor Day weekend tells the AP. “I have lost so much confidence in the experts, the millions of dollars that are being spent to reconstruct and build a new bridge.”

Crews repair parts of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge today. The bridge has been closed indefinitely.
Crews repair parts of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge today. The bridge has been closed indefinitely.   (AP Photo)
Crews work on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco today.
Crews work on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco today.   (AP Photo)
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge remained closed through today's evening commute.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge remained closed through today's evening commute.   (AP Photo)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
cornelison
Oct 30, 2009 2:19 AM CDT
Hi ultramarine. I used to work in an engineering library. They teach the students all the science but not the politics. I've gone through some of the books & they give you the impression that building failures are all the engineers' fault. Even teaching engineering students ethics, it doesn't prepare them for the real world. Thanks for your input.
kyleleitch
Oct 29, 2009 7:21 AM CDT
And that's what's REALLY sad. People are so opposed to paying a little more in taxes for things that they actually USE!
cornelison
Oct 29, 2009 4:19 AM CDT
There are numerous civil engineering books on structural forensics. You'd think that with all the technology they would be able to avoid this. It would be no surprise that something else is at play here.
US • Science

 
Iraq • California • commute • repair • San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge • earthquake

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