WSDOT admits mistakes on 520 Bridge pontoons
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SEATTLE -- Repairs and design modifications are coming to the pontoons that will support the new State Route 520 floating bridge, the state Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.
The changes come on the heels of several KOMO Problem Solver investigative reports that uncovered on-going issues with cracks and leaks in the massive concrete pontoons.
State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond says the upcoming changes are the result of an expert panel's findings.
"The panel agrees the pontoons are structurally sufficient, and we take our responsibility for public safety seriously. These changes will ensure the SR 520 bridge is built to the highest standards," said Hammond.
WSDOT also admitted it made mistakes in approving the designs.
"The results of our internal review show that we did not follow standards of good practice to validate the pontoon design elements, and as an engineer, that is particularly frustrating," Hammond said. "We also did not strictly follow some of our protocols for oversight and administration of the contract on the construction site."
Hammond said disciplinary action will be taken against state bridge division staff who signed off on the design without running models that might have foreseen the cracking.
An October Problem Solvers investigation revealed all six of the first pontoons were leaking. Some of WSDOT's own engineers questioned the construction quality of the pontoons and, in some cases, would not structurally approve pontoons that were missing some key steel re-bar pieces. A former inspector told KOMO News the quality of the first pontoons built in Aberdeen was so shoddy that it's a "disaster waiting to happen."
Underwater inspections revealed the pontoons' worst cracks grew over the winter. The most serious cracks begin in the end walls, and wrap around the upper and lower edges to continue along the top and bottoms.
An untreated underwater crack can let in water at rates of 1 cubic foot per hour, according to a technical report on the bridge.
But WSDOT remains confident in the pontoons' structure.
"The structural capacity of the SR 520 pontoons is sound, and more than adequate for all anticipated loads," said John Reilly, chair of the expert review panel. "Achieving the 75-year service life can be accomplished with normal maintenance."
WSDOT says they will retrofit the first pontoons and that changes made to the second set of pontoons under construction has limited cracking.
"The overall level of cracking is lower than the first cycle at this same stage," the agency said in a news release. "The second cycle of pontoons is anticipated to float out of the Aberdeen casting basin this spring."
A total of 77 pontoons will make the world's longest floating bridge. Completion of the $4.1 billion bridge is already delayed by about six months; it's now not scheduled to open until mid-2015.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The changes come on the heels of several KOMO Problem Solver investigative reports that uncovered on-going issues with cracks and leaks in the massive concrete pontoons.
State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond says the upcoming changes are the result of an expert panel's findings.
"The panel agrees the pontoons are structurally sufficient, and we take our responsibility for public safety seriously. These changes will ensure the SR 520 bridge is built to the highest standards," said Hammond.
WSDOT also admitted it made mistakes in approving the designs.
"The results of our internal review show that we did not follow standards of good practice to validate the pontoon design elements, and as an engineer, that is particularly frustrating," Hammond said. "We also did not strictly follow some of our protocols for oversight and administration of the contract on the construction site."
Hammond said disciplinary action will be taken against state bridge division staff who signed off on the design without running models that might have foreseen the cracking.
An October Problem Solvers investigation revealed all six of the first pontoons were leaking. Some of WSDOT's own engineers questioned the construction quality of the pontoons and, in some cases, would not structurally approve pontoons that were missing some key steel re-bar pieces. A former inspector told KOMO News the quality of the first pontoons built in Aberdeen was so shoddy that it's a "disaster waiting to happen."
Underwater inspections revealed the pontoons' worst cracks grew over the winter. The most serious cracks begin in the end walls, and wrap around the upper and lower edges to continue along the top and bottoms.
An untreated underwater crack can let in water at rates of 1 cubic foot per hour, according to a technical report on the bridge.
But WSDOT remains confident in the pontoons' structure.
"The structural capacity of the SR 520 pontoons is sound, and more than adequate for all anticipated loads," said John Reilly, chair of the expert review panel. "Achieving the 75-year service life can be accomplished with normal maintenance."
WSDOT says they will retrofit the first pontoons and that changes made to the second set of pontoons under construction has limited cracking.
"The overall level of cracking is lower than the first cycle at this same stage," the agency said in a news release. "The second cycle of pontoons is anticipated to float out of the Aberdeen casting basin this spring."
A total of 77 pontoons will make the world's longest floating bridge. Completion of the $4.1 billion bridge is already delayed by about six months; it's now not scheduled to open until mid-2015.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
And the pontoons are being made in Aberdeen, the meth Capital of Washington.
Who could possibly have foreseen this screw-up? Â After all, consider our stellar history here in the northwest.
Nov 7, 1940--Tacoma Narrows Bridge, AKA "Galloping Gertie", blows down in a windstorm and falls into Puget Sound. It was only 130 days old.Â
1941--With steel being a scarce commodity during WWII, the cables are salvaged from the bottom of Puget Sound. The salvage operation cost $350,000 more than the steel was sold for.Â
1942--State of Washington gets stiffed out of some the insurance money from the bridge collapse because one of the agents never processed the payments, instead putting the money in his pocket
1960s--Millions spent building freeway ramps at Dearborn and in Montlake for the never built RH Thompson Expressway. These ramps were never used. The infamous "Ramps to Nowhere."Â
1970s--Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS) starts building 5 nuclear power plants. Only one is ever finished.Â
February 13, 1979--Hood Canal Floating Bridge sinks. People had to take the ferry for the next 3 ½ years.Â
October 25, 1982--Replacement Hood Canal Bridge opens, at a cost of $143 MILLION.Â
1983--WPPSS defaults on $22.5 BILLION in municipal bonds, still the largest default in U.S. history.Â
February 25, 1987--Six guylines to the new 215 foot addition to Husky Stadium are removed too early. The addition, weighing 250 tons, collapses in a twisted wreck. Losses estimated at $1 million.Â
November 25, 1990--Original Lake Washington floating bridge sinks during renovation after pontoons are allowed to fill with water.Â
July 19, 1994--Four ceiling tiles fall from the roof of the Kingdome, due to poor maintenance and water seepage infiltrating the tiles.Â
November 4, 1994--Kingdome is reopened after ceiling tiles are repaired, but two workers lost their lives in the process.Â
September 24, 2005--Seattle's downtown bus tunnel closes for two years to retrofit it for light rail, which we evidently weren't smart enough to consider the first time.Â
November 26, 2005--Two Monorail trains, ON SEPARATE FRIGGIN' TRACKS, somehow get into a head on collision because no one was smart enough to put the tracks far enough apart.Â
September 24, 2007--Seattle's bus tunnel reopens, but the retrofit lowered the level at which the bus rides, so now mirrors are at about the same height as pedestrians' heads. Someone is gonna get conked sooner or later.Â
September 2010--More than $82 million dollars is still owed on the Kingdome, which was imploded 8 ½ years earlier.Â
I urge everyone to please read the contract documents for yourself. The entire contract can be found on WSDOT's webpage at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/biz/contaa/DESIGNBUILDCONTRACTS/SR520BRIDGEREPLACEMENT/
Please pay special attention to the Conformed Documents, Final RFP Chapter 2, Section 2.14 Pontoons (beginning on page 136).First off AASHTO doesn't require modeling of bridges floating or fixed. Therefore the Bridge division did nothing wrong. Second, the Bridge Division was designing the the floating bridge when it was taken from them by upper management. They were told that the bridge was going to be a design build project. This means the contractor designs and builds the floating bridge. The bridge division was told to hand over their design finished or not. They were also forced to sign off on their design even though it wasn't finished. Thus putting their PE & SE licences on the line. Kiewit Construction therefore took full responsibility for the design of the floating bridge. Due to the accelerated schedule Kiewit needed to cut corners in the design and construction on the floating bridge. If there's blame to go around I say it's poor planning by the upper management team of WSDOT. Millions of tax payers dollars wasted by a management team with little planning or engineering experience! Way to go!
@AASHTO DOT
So, if this was a Design-Build project, why is WSDOT responsible for all the design errors?
@Transpopro @AASHTO DOT Good question - Why is Paula Hammond blaming the bridge division? Is she hiding something? Why she she trying to save face by blaming someone else?  When they say WSDOT is responsible for the design they should be referring to upper management. How can you blame a design team for a bridge design when they were not allowed to finish it?Â
@AASHTO DOT
You can't. We don't know the whole story nor is WSDOT or Kiewit inclined to enlighten us. They have made a deal with each other and the WSDOT Designers and the Washington taxpayers are being hung out to dry. Keep digging KOMO!
"Hammond said disciplinary action will be taken against state bridge division staff who signed off on the design without running models that might have foreseen the cracking."
Scary, they may give them a paid vacation or such huh. That will make the tax payers feel much better.
@Alex Clayton According to AASHTO - you do not have to run a model on a bridge design. The bridge staff was forced to sign off on their design plans even when they knew that their plans were not finished or checked. The cracking is due to Kiewit faulty redesign. Any disciplinary action should be taken against upper management in WSDOT. Too bad Paula Hammond quit her job before we could send her a letter of disciplinary action.
Why don't we cover the repair and redesign costs by garnishing Paula Hammond's wages and retirement?Â
Where's our resident retired DOT commenter to blame this on Bush?
Who is paying for these mistakes? Hmmmm?
And on a different note, EFF YOU KOMO! For the last 2 days none of my comments would show up from my original account and I can't get a damn response back from the effing idiots who run the website. Keep on invisibilizing me and I'll just keep starting new accounts, you stupid turds!
@Tattooed_Angel2 You didn't listen to your Uncle Getov, TA! A little circumspection and linguistic subterfuge will make your points just fine without you getting banned. (Ticking) off the moderator-bot by insults and thinly veiled invective does not help your cause. It's their playground.
Those (bleepers).
@Tattooed_Angel2
Now thatâs sort of funny. I am sure that will get them to shape right up though. But then I guess you are a Tattooed Angel, not an Earth Angel.
Hannond should have criminal charges filed against her. What an idiot, she lied, made excuses and is one of the most incompetent people I have seen in a long time. Pat yourself on the back Hammond for being so friggen stupid.
I have always said that there should be prosecutions for this type of crap. Tax payers shouldn't foot the bill for these issues they should be billed back to the company who designed/built these kind of projects..
@Dhnr Right on!
@Dhnr She has no engineering experience at all. What did she really design as an engineer in WSDOT?
@DhnrÂ
On top of everything she was kind of laughing about the problems at the News Conference yesterday. There is nothing funny about the incompetence of WSDOT. The scariest part of all of this is, what is going to happen with the Tunnel, (you know the one that will have a toll, that does not even have a exit to Downtown, you know the tunnel that will replace the most beautiful drive in Seattle when they tear down the Viaduct. As I look into my Plastic Crystal Ball, I see the amount of money wasted on the mistakes of the Bridge will be just a drop in the bucket compared to the Tunnel. I just hope there will not be any fatalities caused by results of the constructions of these projects.
@Max @Dhnr You forgot the part about the tunnel only having two lanes versus three on the viaduct.
I'm an engineer, and I can guarantee these pontoons will not last the 75yr design life. There is no way it can last 75yrs after all that rebar has been exposed to salt water. We the public are getting screwed because before the loans are even paid off they will have to make a new bridge. Of course that will be 50yrs down the road, so no one in charge there will ever have to face the public over this massive mistake.  The big mistake was not simply copying the design of the I-90 bridge.  It is proven, and it works.This new bridge is only 9 ft wider! You could have simply used the existing design and added 4.5ft to each overhang. Instead they had to make a better wheel, and it turned out square. Good job state engineers, you designed a bridge so you could pat yourself on the back instead of simply doing what would have worked.  Not only did they attempt something they should not have, but they did it with no eye on cost. You designed a bridge that had a higher CG, so needed all those side stability pontoons, costing the tax payers hundreds of millions. You knew this, but didn't care.
Pump Guy: How many Bilge Pumps do you need? Really. Wow!! I love you $$$$$$$$$.
It's my understanding that the contractor isn't even following the approved design and/or materials choice. So, if the original design was flawed anyway, I think this whole project is doomed. Whatever they end up doing, I hope I never, ever have to drive across this new bridge.
I wonder is all this is due to the beer they were drinking during the first stages.
@Bizquick Highly doubtful.
they are acting like this is the first time a floating bridge has been made. Even so make sure the 4 billion $ that is going to be spent is done correctly. I would like to see some jail time for disciplinary actions. completely unacceptable.
This whole thing is just a nightmare waiting to happen. Chinese Concrete and shoddy work............... The sign of a true professional Contractor. Â What a Joke, and the State is just gonna sit by and do nothing about any of this.Â
@Seahawker At least the professional contractor drank American Beer while on the job! No wonder the bridge design is so flawed!Â
@Seahawker Not Chinese concrete, Chinese cement.
And the same types of Liberals and Quality Government Employees will soon have control of your Health Care.
If the bridge is delayed for an additional 6 months, do we pay the $90,000 delay fees? At a cost of about 16.2 million.
Too bad the people in charge of this fiasco, don't follow Japans lead. Over there, people would be voluntarily resigning, &/or killing themselves. I don't recommend the latter, but the former should be a given to anyone with self respect.
I am never driving on that thing. Ever. No apology and admittance of culpability can make that shoddy work seem safe. What's the saying? You can't polish a turd. Scrap that cr@p and start over.
@SouthofSeattle I watched the Kingdome being built. Many of the pilings would drop ten feet at a time with the gentlest of taps from the steam hammer. I told myself I would never enter that building because it might fall down.
But I DID enter, many times. It didn't fall down until it was made to fall by use of critically placed and timed explosives. While I have no plans to use the SR-520 toll bridge I won't state that I will never use it.
Actually, the mythbusters showed you CAN actually polish a turd
I for one don't care if the damn thing sinks or not. I will never drive over it again regardless due to the toll.Â
They need more taxes, now! Right!
Well, that's very interesting that Paula Hammond admits to the f***-up just two weeks AFTER she announced her resignation! Three words come to mind; Duh, Duh and DUH! And now watch Paula Hammond skate away with a very nice pension. This worthless scum SHOULD go straight to prison for bilking the public out of a few billion dollars. Little different from one Mr. Madoff, she is.  And Christine should be her cellmate, as she was fully complicit with this scheme.
@chiapetto Â
Well her leaving is cause. She doesnt not want to try to apply for her job again. the current governor is looking for new staff. And she doesn't feel she needs to reapply. I might not like Jay Inslee but I do agree with him looking for new department heads. I just hope he is actually looking for someone to do the job. If they have a DOT head that does the job correctly. this state would find so many ways it could save money and not spend it.
@Bizquick @chiapetto He has already appointed a new head for WSDOT. She is unlikely to be even as good as Paula Hammond.
@chiapetto Just remember that Christine was voted in twice. What does that say about the intelligence level in this state?
The intelligence of the state is great. Just the counties around the Planet Seattle voted for her. The dry side sure didn't.
I guess this means only one end of the bridge will be sinking 24/7/365?Way over budget, poorly designed, crumbling and cracking with rusting reinforcement, leaking and deteriorating day by day and we are paying tolls to cover this total disorganized mess? Those of you who vote socialist are getting what you voted for.The rest of us just have to live with your poor decisions.
Uhhh... Gee... about time?
Did they also "admit" we get to pay for their mistakes?Â
Why are we going to pay a toll tax on the i90. This Company should pay for the rest of the amount. We are going to put tolls on the 90 that will never stop. They will say they will take it away after we pay off the 520 bridge but they won't.
@Brownstar! They removed the toll on the present SR-520 bridge when it was paid.
@Brownstar! What company, the WSDOT? Because they are the ones responsible. Translation: We the taxpayers are going to have to eat the stupidity of our elected officials appointees.Â
I say, "Bust Up All The Pontoons, And Use Them As Fill For All The Pot Holes In Our Roads"
@Max Too expensive, just take them out and dynamite them for use as a breakwater.