The San Francisco Bay Bridge rebuild was years late, way over cost, and now it appears Caltrans deliberately covered up their botched job. Employees who reported quality control issues were replaced. Management ordered quality control issues to be delivered orally and not be put into writing, presumably to avoid disclosure. The Chinese contractor who built much of the bridge was paid millions to speed up work and didn’t fix obvious problems.
Were bribes and kickbacks involved? Every Caltrans manager involved with this needs a complete audit of their personal finances. And maybe some of them should go to prison too.
Quality control managers found thousands of cracks in welds produced by a Chinese contractor for the span’s signature tower and roadway. Rather than ordering all needed fixes, top California Department of Transportation managers replaced those who discovered the problems.
Officials frequently told contractors and employees not to put concerns about quality into writing – ostensibly to avoid disclosure under the state Public Records Act.
If warranted after his investigation is completed, DeSaulnier said, some matters might be referred to legal authorities for prosecution.