Bolts Installed on SF Bay Bridge May Not to Be Replaced

According to a report published by the Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee, over 2,000 pieces of bolts and nuts installed on the East section of the newly built SF Bay Bridge may not to be replaced. After a report about 32 pieces of bolts and nuts installed on the Bridge that were suspected to break, the safety of the other 2,200 bolts installed on the same bridge also became a problem in question.

The construction of the East section of Bay Bridge cost USD 6.4 billion. The 2,200 pieces of bolts concerned are used to connect the bridge towers with the main bridge construction, which can prevent the bridge from swaying too much in the earthquake. This report also indicates that if further protective measures are done to the galvanized steel fasteners, there will be no safety problem. With concerns on the quake-resistant bolts, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has made the additional expenditure of US$20 million on strengthening the quake-resistance of the bridge structure.