The San Francisco Bay Bridge will not open on time because of the ongoing effort to fix broken shear bolt rods. California lawmakers, meanwhile, vow to hold accountable those responsible for the delay to replace the seismically deficient current bridge.
Originally planned to open on Labor Day, the $6.3-billion bridge's new opening date has not been determined but likely will occur no earlier than Dec. 10. That's when contractor American Bridge/Fluor Joint Venture is expected to complete a retrofit to replace the clamping force of 96 A354-grade BD high-strength steel rods installed on the self-anchored suspension (SAS) bridge of the new east span. When tightened to their specified tension levels in March, 32 of the anchor rods failed due to hydrogen embrittlement.