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The new Bay Bridge

Started by bugo, February 26, 2013, 06:00:12 PM

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Pete from Boston

Just think of all those new caulking jobs created. 


Jardine

Wonder what the unintended negative side effect(s) of the caulk will be ??

kkt

I hope they remember to check the caulking regularly.  I can just see that job being cut from the budget next time there's a crisis.

TravelingBethelite

Only on AARoads would you find discussion of caulking in such detail. Yay for caulking jobs! ;)
"Imprisoned by the freedom of the road!" - Ronnie Milsap
See my photos at: http://bit.ly/1Qi81ws

Now I decide where I go...

2018 Ford Fusion SE - proud new owner!

Pete from Boston


Quote from: kkt on January 31, 2016, 06:31:40 PM
I hope they remember to check the caulking regularly.  I can just see that job being cut from the budget next time there's a crisis.

What I could plausibly see is a judgement being made at some point that the seven years was decided based on average lifespan X of the caulking material, and eight or nine years is still within acceptable failure likelihood, until it fails and something else therefore fails and there's an incident and an inquiry...

It's like a disaster movie plot where they say "Relax, the only way anything can go wrong is if someone fails to [minor thing that always gets neglected]."


triplemultiplex

So there are a lot of holes that need to be filled with caulk?  They are going to need a lot of caulk experts. I hope they can find enough people in the Bay Area who really know their caulk.  And once they've put their caulk in all those holes, someone will need to periodically inspect their caulk.  Caulk inspection is important so you can detect a problem before it gets out of hand.  You're only going to want good caulk.  The inspectors will not be satisfied if there is bad caulk filling those holes.

Quote from: TravelingBethelite on January 31, 2016, 07:25:11 PM
Only on AARoads would you find discussion of caulking in such detail. Yay for caulking jobs! ;)

Yes there is a lot of interest in caulk.  Some people just love caulk.  It's not everyone's favorite, but I for one am glad there are people who care about good, quality caulk.

:bigass:
"That's just like... your opinion, man."

Jardine

Are there any boutique caulk shops on Rodeo Drive ??

Heaven forbid they use the cheap crap from Menards.

Pete from Boston


Quote from: triplemultiplex on January 31, 2016, 09:58:20 PM
So there are a lot of holes that need to be filled with caulk?  They are going to need a lot of caulk experts. I hope they can find enough people in the Bay Area who really know their caulk.  And once they've put their caulk in all those holes, someone will need to periodically inspect their caulk.  Caulk inspection is important so you can detect a problem before it gets out of hand.  You're only going to want good caulk.  The inspectors will not be satisfied if there is bad caulk filling those holes.

Quote from: TravelingBethelite on January 31, 2016, 07:25:11 PM
Only on AARoads would you find discussion of caulking in such detail. Yay for caulking jobs! ;)

Yes there is a lot of interest in caulk.  Some people just love caulk.  It's not everyone's favorite, but I for one am glad there are people who care about good, quality caulk.

:bigass:

With these jokes, you have everyone's first day of being a painter out of the way.  Congratulations.


roadfro

Quote from: Jardine on January 31, 2016, 10:15:02 PM
Heaven forbid they use the cheap crap from Menards.

Caltrans is highly unlikely to do this... Mainly because there's no Menards locations out west–Lowes or Home Depot maybe...  :pan:
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

Jardine

As I recall, the Golden Gate Bridge sheet piling was 'caulked' with grains of wheat.

Wonder if they were on to something ?

vdeane

Quote from: TravelingBethelite on January 31, 2016, 07:25:11 PM
Only on AARoads would you find discussion of caulking in such detail. Yay for caulking jobs! ;)
We're expanding from being a font forum to also being a caulking forum.  Someone alert the Clearview developers!
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Jardine

What kind of font should be used to label a caulked goat ??

Big John

Quote from: Jardine on February 01, 2016, 10:08:49 PM
What kind of font should be used to label a caulked goat ??
Comic Sans

triplemultiplex

Quote from: Pete from Boston on January 31, 2016, 10:55:25 PM
With these jokes, you have everyone's first day of being a painter out of the way.  Congratulations.

I couldn't resist a little sophomoric humor.  :sombrero:
Okay, a lot.  :biggrin:
"That's just like... your opinion, man."

nexus73

In Oregon our loggers wear caulk boots.  The word is pronounced as "cork" though and it used to be common to see signs in stores and cafes saying "No caulk boots allowed".  If you saw the big spikes on those boots you would know why!

Rick
US 101 is THE backbone of the Pacific coast from Bandon OR to Willits CA.  Industry, tourism and local traffic would be gone or severely crippled without it being in functioning condition in BOTH states.

andy3175

#140
Demolition of the old bay bridge continues, with phase 2 focusing on the removal of the remaining truss segments.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/02/04/crews-lowering-truss-old-bay-bridge-span/

QuoteA major section of the old eastern span of the Bay Bridge began coming down Thursday morning.

In the second part of the three-phase process of dismantling the old eastern span, crews on Thursday began lowering a 504-foot truss that weighs about 2,500 tons.

There are five such trusses that were built in 1935 and they combine to stretch for about a half-mile, from Pier E4 to Pier E9.

Caltrans spokeswoman Leah Robinson-Leach said the work Thursday will focus on severing the truss from the bridge's towers and beginning its slow descent to the Bay below.

QuoteThe first phase in taking down the old eastern span was completed at the end of last year with the complete demolition of the cantilever section and the S-curve to Yerba Buena Island.

The second phase is removing the five 504-foot trusses and then removing 14 288-foot truss span sections that extend to the Oakland shore.  The third phase will focus on demolishing the span's remaining marine foundations.

Official webpage http://www.baybridgeinfo.org/demolition has pictures.



Regards,
Andy

www.aaroads.com

hm insulators

Quote from: triplemultiplex on January 31, 2016, 09:58:20 PM
So there are a lot of holes that need to be filled with caulk?  They are going to need a lot of caulk experts. I hope they can find enough people in the Bay Area who really know their caulk.  And once they've put their caulk in all those holes, someone will need to periodically inspect their caulk.  Caulk inspection is important so you can detect a problem before it gets out of hand.  You're only going to want good caulk.  The inspectors will not be satisfied if there is bad caulk filling those holes.

Quote from: TravelingBethelite on January 31, 2016, 07:25:11 PM
Only on AARoads would you find discussion of caulking in such detail. Yay for caulking jobs! ;)

Yes there is a lot of interest in caulk.  Some people just love caulk.  It's not everyone's favorite, but I for one am glad there are people who care about good, quality caulk.

:bigass:

Now what about duct tape?
Remember: If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

I'd rather be a child of the road than a son of a ditch.


At what age do you tell a highway that it's been adopted?

andy3175

Continuing on with the Bay Bridge blame game... http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Bridge-contractor-says-Caltrans-owes-50-6824865.php

QuoteThe main contractor on the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge says Caltrans owes it nearly $50 million – a large chunk of what could add up to $140 million in cost overruns on the project.

Caltrans revealed the demand Thursday from the main contractor, a joint venture called American Bridge/Fluor. Officials did not say what the disputed costs were for, but they acknowledged that the state will probably have to pay at least some of them, depending on the outcome of an expected arbitration process.

"As a risk manager, I need to be conservative in my approach,"  said Caltrans official Patrick Treacy, who said he was including the full $49.9 million bill from American Bridge/Fluor in his estimate that the bridge could end up $140 million in the red. "I'm trying to capture the pessimistic outlook."  ...

Caltrans, however, has its own issues with American Bridge/Fluor. In September, it demanded $11 million from the joint venture for problems with high-strength steel rods on the bridge, including the failure of 32 of them on seismic-stabilizing structures in 2013. Caltrans also held American/Bridge Fluor responsible for flooding problems in the bridge tower's foundation that could expose more than 400 anchor rods to corrosion.

American Bridge/Fluor challenged the penalty, and that issue will now be part of the arbitration, said Andrew Fremier, deputy director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

American Bridge/Fluor representatives have not commented about the project, but they have previously defended the quality of the joint venture's work, and said they would help Caltrans fix the tower rods problem. They did not appear at the meeting Thursday.

Construction delays and environmental protection efforts are contributing to the potential $140 million deficit on the bridge project, which already has cost $6.4 billion. Transportation officials have said there is enough money in toll-payer-financed funds to cover the repairs without having to bump up the cost of driving across Bay Area bridges. Tolls were last raised in 2010.
Regards,
Andy

www.aaroads.com

andy3175

On a related note, the Yerba Buena Tunnel has recently seen damage to its interior causing chunks of concrete to fail.

http://abc7news.com/traffic/caltrans-finds-series-of-weak-spots-in-yerba-buena-tunnel/1213977/

QuoteCaltrans says there is a series of weak spots inside the Yerba Buena Tunnel. It is concrete that has been compromised by rainwater leaking into the 80-year-old structure. ...

When the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge opened, the Yerba Buena Tunnel received a new paint job, but that was about it. It hasn't had a major renovation in more than 50 years and it is starting to show. "There were 13 spots that were discovered," Caltrans spokesperson Myeast McCauley said.

In fact, Caltrans tests now reveal a pattern of failure, due to corrosion caused by rainwater. It's the same eastbound tunnel where a chunk of concrete gave way in January damaging a car while narrowly missing the driver.
Regards,
Andy

www.aaroads.com

Jardine


The Ghostbuster

More Bay Bridge problems? Why couldn't they build it right the first time?

kkt

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on March 04, 2016, 05:16:53 PM
More Bay Bridge problems? Why couldn't they build it right the first time?

This is the tunnel, not part of the new east span project.  So it is basically the 1930s tunnel.  The ceiling of the upper deck was raised in the 1950s, but that probably didn't do anything about rain leaking in.



Max Rockatansky

I didn't want to open a new thread on the Bay Bridge given there are so many so I just found the one that hit the criteria I thought fit best.  Recently drove the Bay Bridge for the first time since 1993 which of course would include the somewhat new eastern span:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/03/interstate-80-over-san-francisco.html

I went a little overboard on the history of routes connecting to the Bay Bridge but I thought they had merit to the topic.  My photo set for the Bay Bridge can be found below:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmAZWcxG

Max Rockatansky

Drove the Bay Bridge eastbound this afternoon:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmzZYGX4



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