Post by constructr on Dec 12, 2008 14:33:06 GMT -4
You guy's/gals hear the latest?? This could be interesting (read scary)
December 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEN. PIPKIN: ‘ENOUGH LIES, TAKE ACTION AND INSPECT THE BAY BRIDGE NOW’
Senator E. J. Pipkin ( R. Upper Shore 36) said, “Public confidence has been shattered. MdTA officials have continued to lie about the safety of the Bay Bridge . Now we learn that the wire cables have not been inspected. What else don’t we know? Frankly, I have little or no trust and confidence in anything the MdTA Board or its Chief Engineer tells us.”
Senator Pipkin calls for:
An immediate independent inspection of the Bay Bridge using the latest technology
The resignation of Chief Engineer Kolberg
An assessment of the responsibility of every MdTA Board member in this unforgiveable lapse of bridge safety
“It’s short and simple…we were lied to. We have been assured by MdTA Chief Engineer and the MdTA Board that the inspection process ‘exceeds industry standards and the federal mandate’.” Angela Price’s December 10th story in the Star Democrat revealed that invasive inspection of the cables holding up the bridge is 5 years late.
Senator Pipkin, along with local and state representatives and two hundred interested citizens met with the MdTA Board on September 3rd to call for an outside independent inspection of the bridge using the state-of-the-art technology, such as radar and ultrasound. MdTA Chief Engineer Geoffrey Kolberg and the entire MdTA Board assured attendees that Bay Bridge inspections exceed the industry standard and federal mandate.
We now know this is false: inspections of the wire cables that hold up the bridge are overdue. The westbound span wire cables have not received an invasive inspection since it opened in 1973 – 5 years late. The Bay Bridges are made up of seven types of bridge structure: concrete beams, steel beams and girders, continuous steel girders, steel deck truss, deck cantilever, through truss and suspension. The bridges are suspended with towers and cables. Which of these components have been inspected when they are due for inspection? Which of these components have been inspected beyond the yearly visual inspection?
The August 10th tragic accident, in which a tractor trailer broke through the barrier wall and plunged into the Bay, revealed the corrosion in the steel that anchors the concrete barriers to the bridge deck. The special inspection using radar and ultrasound discovered the corrosion - not the annual visual inspection.
Senator Pipkin said, “Misleading the public on a matter of public safety cannot be tolerated. Something has to change. Appointing a hand-picked commissions and bureaucratic doublespeak are stall tactics. Bay Bridge users demand immediate action to ensure the safety of the Bridge.”
December 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEN. PIPKIN: ‘ENOUGH LIES, TAKE ACTION AND INSPECT THE BAY BRIDGE NOW’
Senator E. J. Pipkin ( R. Upper Shore 36) said, “Public confidence has been shattered. MdTA officials have continued to lie about the safety of the Bay Bridge . Now we learn that the wire cables have not been inspected. What else don’t we know? Frankly, I have little or no trust and confidence in anything the MdTA Board or its Chief Engineer tells us.”
Senator Pipkin calls for:
An immediate independent inspection of the Bay Bridge using the latest technology
The resignation of Chief Engineer Kolberg
An assessment of the responsibility of every MdTA Board member in this unforgiveable lapse of bridge safety
“It’s short and simple…we were lied to. We have been assured by MdTA Chief Engineer and the MdTA Board that the inspection process ‘exceeds industry standards and the federal mandate’.” Angela Price’s December 10th story in the Star Democrat revealed that invasive inspection of the cables holding up the bridge is 5 years late.
Senator Pipkin, along with local and state representatives and two hundred interested citizens met with the MdTA Board on September 3rd to call for an outside independent inspection of the bridge using the state-of-the-art technology, such as radar and ultrasound. MdTA Chief Engineer Geoffrey Kolberg and the entire MdTA Board assured attendees that Bay Bridge inspections exceed the industry standard and federal mandate.
We now know this is false: inspections of the wire cables that hold up the bridge are overdue. The westbound span wire cables have not received an invasive inspection since it opened in 1973 – 5 years late. The Bay Bridges are made up of seven types of bridge structure: concrete beams, steel beams and girders, continuous steel girders, steel deck truss, deck cantilever, through truss and suspension. The bridges are suspended with towers and cables. Which of these components have been inspected when they are due for inspection? Which of these components have been inspected beyond the yearly visual inspection?
The August 10th tragic accident, in which a tractor trailer broke through the barrier wall and plunged into the Bay, revealed the corrosion in the steel that anchors the concrete barriers to the bridge deck. The special inspection using radar and ultrasound discovered the corrosion - not the annual visual inspection.
Senator Pipkin said, “Misleading the public on a matter of public safety cannot be tolerated. Something has to change. Appointing a hand-picked commissions and bureaucratic doublespeak are stall tactics. Bay Bridge users demand immediate action to ensure the safety of the Bridge.”