Inslee on 520 Bridge mistakes: 'This is not going to happen again'
»Play Video
SEATTLE -- Governor Jay Inslee said the State Department of Transportation is guilty of significant failures on the new 520 Bridge, and he said he won't stop investigating until he finds out how those costly mistakes could be made.
The multi-million mistakes were uncovered in a KOMO 4 Problem Solvers investigation into construction flaws with the concrete pontoon being used on the bridge.
"I'm inheriting tons of concrete and rebar here," Inslee said of the massive bridge project.
Along with the concrete and rebar, Inslee also inherited a project riddled with problems. Cracks and leaks were discovered in the first set of massive concrete pontoons, and an unusual contract set-up puts all of the financial risks on state taxpayers.
Last month, outgoing Washington Department of Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond unveiled the results of an expert review panel, indicating flaws in the state-design of the pontoons and a lack of management oversight are the primary reasons for the cracks and leaks. The review also said state taxpayers are ultimately responsible for repairs and delays.
Those mistakes have already cost taxpayers well above $100 million.
Inslee's new transportation secretary, Lynn Peterson, takes office Wednesday. He promised that together they will follow through with proposed redesign changes and discipline any state employee found responsible for the mistakes.
"I am going to be insistent, this is not going to happen again," he said.
Problem Solver sources say WSDOT and contractor Kiewit were "taking lots of shortcuts" because of "pressure for the schedule."
The expert panel agreed with that assessment, reporting last week that schedule pressure and short cuts were major factors.
"This was not a whitewash," Inslee said. "They did identify some significant failures by the Department of Transportation."
Inslee is confident in the current redesign of the pontoons.
"I do believe that they have called for some significant changes that are heading in the right direction," he said.
Sources now say the repairs and redesigns recommended by the panel won't fix the problems. They believe the pontoons already on lake Washington -- as well as those under construction in Aberdeen -- will still be structurally inadequate and won't last the 75 years WSDOT guarantees.
Inslee promises he's not done investigating.
"But that's not the last page of the book," he said. "We will be reviewing these decisions and you and I will be talking about it in the upcoming weeks and months."
It will be up to Peterson to follow through on Inslee's promises.
---
See more from our 520 Bridge investigation >>>
The multi-million mistakes were uncovered in a KOMO 4 Problem Solvers investigation into construction flaws with the concrete pontoon being used on the bridge.
"I'm inheriting tons of concrete and rebar here," Inslee said of the massive bridge project.
Along with the concrete and rebar, Inslee also inherited a project riddled with problems. Cracks and leaks were discovered in the first set of massive concrete pontoons, and an unusual contract set-up puts all of the financial risks on state taxpayers.
Last month, outgoing Washington Department of Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond unveiled the results of an expert review panel, indicating flaws in the state-design of the pontoons and a lack of management oversight are the primary reasons for the cracks and leaks. The review also said state taxpayers are ultimately responsible for repairs and delays.
Those mistakes have already cost taxpayers well above $100 million.
Inslee's new transportation secretary, Lynn Peterson, takes office Wednesday. He promised that together they will follow through with proposed redesign changes and discipline any state employee found responsible for the mistakes.
"I am going to be insistent, this is not going to happen again," he said.
Problem Solver sources say WSDOT and contractor Kiewit were "taking lots of shortcuts" because of "pressure for the schedule."
The expert panel agreed with that assessment, reporting last week that schedule pressure and short cuts were major factors.
"This was not a whitewash," Inslee said. "They did identify some significant failures by the Department of Transportation."
Inslee is confident in the current redesign of the pontoons.
"I do believe that they have called for some significant changes that are heading in the right direction," he said.
Sources now say the repairs and redesigns recommended by the panel won't fix the problems. They believe the pontoons already on lake Washington -- as well as those under construction in Aberdeen -- will still be structurally inadequate and won't last the 75 years WSDOT guarantees.
Inslee promises he's not done investigating.
"But that's not the last page of the book," he said. "We will be reviewing these decisions and you and I will be talking about it in the upcoming weeks and months."
It will be up to Peterson to follow through on Inslee's promises.
---
See more from our 520 Bridge investigation >>>
Some very serious charges have been made by Paula Hammond against Professional Engineers within the Bridge and Structures Office. Shouldn't they be afforded the opportunity to respond? Why has WSDOT prevented KOMO from interviewing these professionals? Do you really think that if Paula says so, there is nothing left to say? Case closed, Kiewit walks away with no liability if this thing sinks? Think about that. Paula has stated that this is 100% WSDOT's fault. Does the contractor have any concern to care about how the remainder of the pontoons are constructed? Why should he? He has no liability.
The engineering, and production parameters required for floating bridges
were proven and established before 1940 when the first cross Lake WashingtonÂ
floating bridge opened for traffic traffic across the lake.
The bridge was later named the Lacy Murrow Bridge. Â
The pontoons for that structure did NOT leak at all. Now it is 2013, and designers,
engineers, and construction contractors can not, or will not not duplicate that fact.
Something is VERY WRONG with that picture.
@pete1427Â Your are right, it just sank, thats all.
It sank after a DOT maintenance crew opened the hatches and filled it withÂ
water, and cement from pressure washing it while they were supposedÂ
to be doing routine maintenance.  The pumps for the upper chambers
had been secured (shut off ) because of contamination concerns and the
pontoons became top heavy. The heavy rains also added weight to
the pontoons, and without operational pumps their fate was insured
If you fill most vessels with enough water, at some point they will sink.Â
The original pontoons did not leak. Some of the original 1940 pontoonsÂ
survived that screw up and even to this day, they do not leak.
It would be nice of problem makers would actually publish all of the facts, instead of the ones they want to distort the truth.
@Common Sense Read this article:
Report Finds Confusion Ensued After State Decided to Design Pontoons
Engineering News-Record
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Famous last words from a politician. "It will never happen on my shift" Yeah right.Â
Seems like the contractors bottom line as well as state employees bank statement etc. needs to be reviewed by auditors who know what they are looking for. take anything you find, send the ________ to jail and make certain that contractor never gets another $ from us. Oh yes and sportbuff01...SEE YA!
@j t france You speak in ignorance of facts and only in the shadow of self serving news entertainment.
Remember when Gregoire was going to find out who negotiated and approved the penalties in the contract? Still waiting to hear.
@6t6tripowr and are we still liable for these penalties given the contractors lack of engineering knowledge?  Also WHO WAS THE LAWYER THAT APPROVED THE CONTRACT?????
Your another democratic govenor why wont it continue. It happened under gregoire , it will happen under you. I am so ready to move out of this state so i dont have to give tax dollars to you incompentent democrat liberals . you have had your chance and you continue to waste waste waste. give it a rest inslee , your just like the rest.
@sportbuff01 Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.
Yes, it will. My dad retired as an Engineer for the State and I grew up hearing him rant about wasted tax dollars in Highway Construction. In the tens of millions at a time wasted dollars. Dollars wasted due to rampant design flaws. Inslee is not going to change that unless he makes it a crime to have a policy of design flaws and wasting money. But then, I'll bet Inslee's creating more ways to spend as I type this.Â
I am glad he is investigating. Â And what exactly does that mean for the taxpayer??? Â More money going out on the investigation along with the contract liabilities that fall in our laps for delays! Â How did this company get the contract and who is really in charge of this mess? Â And was the contractor already being investigated? Â And was his engineers drinking daily on the job? Â And where was the lawyer that is suppose to go over these contracts and protect wa state taxpayers????? Â I would say more than a few should be fired!! Oh and can we, as taxpayers, get a look at the itemized BILLING FROM THE CONTRACTOR?
@Joy Whitney Read a factual engineering report, not what Tracey spews out.
Report Finds Confusion Ensued After State Decided to Design Pontoons
Engineering News-Record
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
As long as the unions are calling the shots ,WSDOT, in charge these events will continue.
@contraryjim Unions do not call the shots, they build what the State says to do, point out the stupidity, and are told to shut up.
How about sue Hammond for failure to do her job and for the risk and cost she put on everyone. SHE should be the one taken to court and ordered to pay or jailed.
@Robinsnest Where did the "buck stop:?? Wasn't Christine in charge?
@contraryjim Sue her, too!
Inslee says he is going to do alot of thing's so.................
Good to see Inslee (in fact --anybody--) biting the bullet and trying to straighten out this mess. On the other hand, it's yet another sad tale which seems indicative of our decline as a civilization. We were designing and building perfectly good concrete pontoon bridges over 70 years ago, and now we seem to have, shall we say, lost the formula. 45 years ago, the United States sent people to the moon and back--and now we need the help of the Russians (using even older technology!) to make it to low earth orbit. Half a century ago we set out to cure heart disease and cancer, and now more research dollars are put into inventing ways to grow and prepare unhealthy foods that have increased the incidence of those diseases, along with an epidemic of Type 2 diabetes and other delights.  Meanwhile, popular culture is abandoning science in favor of superstition and fantasy and more ink and breath is spent hollering over the right to own firearms than in pursuing true justice.  Believe or not as you must in evolution, but our present de-evolution is self-evident.
@Arthur Marriott We didn't lose the formula. We became lazy and learned how to cut corners to make a higher profit. There is very little pride in workmanship these days or concern for the public's safety. Money is more important than lives.
Amazing, only government would such a contract that specifies tax payers are responsible for all screw ups. Having been in state government this type of situation is the norm. A database to end all databases for displaying the state's fish resources on maps was started before I arrived in 1992 and was a multimillion disaster in the making over years and was still sucking tax payers to the tune of millions when I left in 2007. I created a stopgap for $250,000 during 2003 that is still now being used by the agency I worked for, BPA and the other bordering states because it works. And, yet, all the while the big one still continues with that big sucking sound. I pointed easy to find errors and was called a liar because I would sign off on it. So tax payers, bend over, this bridge fiasco is the norm not the exception for state government project development.
Glad to see Inslee's getting serious about this, but if he really wants to fix this, don't be making us pay for their crap!
My question is WHY ARE WE THE TAX PAYERS PAYING FOR MISTAKES??? if we make a mistake in business ventures we do not make the customer pay for it! the people who provided the pontoons should be paying for it no matter who it is!!
@john Doe Because the union, the contractor and the state make nice with each other. They know the liberals in this state will get everyone to bend over to ....
@john Doe  Mr Doe, I say call Jesse.
@Selling 'News'
Why? Tracy is already on it.:->>
This crap with the 520 pontoons should have never happened and now we tax payers are going to be stuck with it. Now we have to figure out what to do with the mistakes and start all over again. I hope they can find someone that can design them right in the first place before they start building. Those who messed this up in the first place should be out looking for a job and damn lucky they don't have to pay fro their screw-up.
@LongBeachBum The sad thing is Pontoons are stll being made with problems
@LongBeachBum  First of all no one is going to start all over again. WSDOT is getting a peer review on their design as they should have from the beginning. Have you noticed that the original WSDOT engineers have disappeared like reassigned Catholic priests?
All right, enough is enough.First stop all work on this boondoggle.Next determine how to dispose of the pontoons already built.They should cause no environmental harm if sunk in the deepest part of Lk Washington.Third, if they still want a new bridge, hire a professional design team and design it properly.Fourth, light rail has no business on a floating bridge.It only adds to the cost without providing a cost effective benefit.Get rid of that requirement.The structures on each end of the existing bridge are fine.If some of the pontoons need replacing, do it.What the heck, if they all were replaced it would be cheaper and the design was much more sound than the new one.Small improvements would not cost much design time from professionals, not DOT.
@oldster70Â Your fix is old school and does not see very well. If the new floating bridge is being built to replace a bridge that cannot be expanded, is approaching its lifespan and costs too much to maintain, there is no fix except to replace. A big feature of the new bridge is that it appears not to have a middle opening. Result? Fewer people to maintain, no traffic interruptions and you can actually ride your bike accross the new bridge, or wheelchair.
This could have been so easily prevented with some simple language in the contract. Any errors, omissions, or problems caused by the contractor are absorbed by the contractor. Another way - do it as a fixed cost contract. You get X. Period. You need to deliver what you promise for X. If X costs you X+Y, too bad, you eat Y. You screw up and have to fix stuff, and it costs more than X? Too bad. You eat X+Y. You do your job right, and you finish early, you get X+bonus for doing job right. You do job really right and total costs come in below X, you keep the difference and get a bonus.
Gads, this is just business development 101 people.
@Howard Beale Did you just wake up? That is what all contracts with WSDOT that are not design build say. The Pontoons building project is not design build, it is bid build with just the things you mention. If what you bid to build is not engineered correctly you forgot all the other items in a contract.
Correct and well put.
Well at least its comforting that Washington State voters have learned their lesson and dont just cast their ballot for anyone with a "D" in front of their name..... oh wait....
"This was not a whitewash," Inslee said. "They did identify some significant failures by the Department of Transportation."
Okay fine, who got fired? Yeah right...
"won't happen again", "headed in the right direction", won't satisfy the fact that the taxpayer's have to foot the million dollar faux pas DOT let happen. This state couldn't pass a CPA exam to balance books let alone safeguard taxpayers hard-earned money. Â Why care? Â The politicians didn't earn it!! Â They think they are there to spend it only.Â
Well, that's it folks. Jay Inslee, the leader of our state government said it's not going to happen again. We can all sleep better now. What could go wrong?
Here's an idea: Â STOP. Â HALT. Â Walk away!
We can't pay for the project as it is, why in he hell would we choose to continue on right now? Â Do we REALLY need this bridge?
We should cut our losses and pack it up for now. Â We aren't in the greatest economic shape right now, and unless there is going to be some major injection of Federal money to help build this thing, forcing other people to pay for this mess through the use of tolls on other freeways is ludicrous.
If the good people of Hunts Point, Yarrow Bay, Overlake, and Redmond really need this new bridge RIGHT NOW, then let THEM pay for it through property taxes. Â As someone who hasn't used SR-520 in ten years and uses I-90 daily, I don't see why I should have to pay a toll on a road that is bought and paid for already for a different road I will never use.
So, until the state can figure out how to pay for completing this project, STOP. Â HALT. Â Walk away.
As far as the substandard work of the contractor -- let them absorb the cost of their mistakes.
You do realize that the federal money comes from the same paychecks as the state taxes right?  It's called federal income tax. So we get socked at the state level and again at the federal level.
@DJ Allyn Â
I say we need to put presure on the federal level about I-90. that because its a interstate the money they collect would go into federal funding. If the state has to deal with that threat. they sure would then change the tune about tolling any interstate roads.
@Bizquick @DJ Allyn No local tolling for anything, anywhere goes to the Feds. Even if it did the department to control it would be bigger than any tolls that could ever be collected.
@DJ Allyn Good points, but realize that the existing 520 bridge is in peril, it is consistenly being pumped out, just boat by it and see the water being pumped out. Tolls on I-90 because it is the only path accross the lake for Light Rail now, the new 520 is supposed to be built for future light rail, I understand. We cannot escape the cost to improve our infrastructure to promote our local commerce. The real problem could be solved completely with a truckers bypass freeway between Olympia past Everett with limited and well planned off ramps for the trucks. With that done, all our existing freeways would be adequate.
Sure... not going to happen again... until we build another floating bridge in another 50 years ... way to pass the buck instead of doing what you should do which is END this contract IMMEDIATELY and re-bid | You have the AUTHORITY to DO THAT! grow a pair and do what you SHOULD.... CANCEL THE CONTRACT NOW!... if dimbulb construction wants to keep it they accept accountability for not having who they should on the ground supervising this crap! NOT rejecting things that are not in spec sounds like a serious lack of judgment on them! .....That 100 million loss is going to someone and that should have NEVER been the taxpayers!
Not going to happen again? Here we are in the thick of it and the governor is speaking about "again"? What about the right here and now? You know, governor, the here and now that's just nailed the public for $100 million. I don't understand why we the public have to pay for someone elses error, and I don't care about who/why caused it.
Read this article for how bad the company is:
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Preview--520-bridge-contractor-faces-new-investigation-for-bridge-safety-concerns-177373381.html
@the tide Get current 'tide';  once again you have been 'Vederiz'd'. The California Legislaature exonerated Kiewit from any and all issues regarding the Bay Bridge.
@Selling 'News' @the tide Is that the same California Legislators that helped run their state into the ground economically?