The Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee (TBPOC) announced that the previously scheduled Labor Day opening of the new East Span of the Bay Bridge has been postponed. The contractor now forecasts the steel saddle retrofit for the failed bolts on the east pier of the Self-Anchored Suspension Span will be completed by December 10, 2013. The TBPOC will select a bridge opening date based upon actual completion of the retrofit work, weather windows and traffic impacts. Stay tuned to BayBridgeInfo.org for the latest information.
Comprehensive Bolts Report Released
The TBPOC released its investigative report into the 32 bolts that broke on the Self-Anchored Suspension Span (SAS) and its review of 2,306 similar bolts on the SAS. Based on the findings of the report, only the 32 bolts that failed must be replaced, via the steel saddle retrofit, before the new span’s opening. All other bolts are performing as designed, but will continue to be monitored and inspected. Read the report at www.BayBridgeInfo.org