Transportation
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Wednesday Must Reads: Badly Designed Bolts on Richmond Bridge, Too; Santa Clara to Host Super Bowl
Business / Sports / Transportation Robert Gammon — Wed, May 22, 2013 at 7:02 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Caltrans used the same type of badly designed steel rods that have snapped on the new Bay Bridge in its retrofit of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge a decade ago, the Chron$ reports, citing newly released agency documents. Two years before the Richmond Bridge project, Caltrans had banned the use of such high-strength rods on bridges because the bolts can become brittle and snap in an earthquake. But the agency decided to use the bolts anyway on the Bay Bridge, too, after its main supplier, Dyson Corporation, pointed to their use on the Richmond Bridge. However, experts note that the bolts on the Richmond Bridge are much less likely to fail because they are not under the same intense pressure as they are the new Bay Bridge.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Tuesday Must Reads: Bridge Expert Says Bad Bolts Should Be Replaced; State Control of Oakland Schools Failed to Fix Financial Problems
Media / Education / Transportation Robert Gammon — Tue, May 21, 2013 at 7:02 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. A leading engineering expert who is also an advisor to Caltrans said the agency should replace as many defective bolts on the new Bay Bridge as possible, SFGate reports. The bolts were designed to be too hard and brittle and could snap in an earthquake; 32 of the rods have broken already. Meanwhile, many elected officials are calling for a comprehensive investigation into the Bay Bridge scandal in the wake of the bolt problems and a recent report that the new eastern span appears to be riddled with corrosion problems as well, the SacBee$ reports. And, finally, Governor Jerry Brown acknowledged yesterday that the new $6.3 billion bridge may not be able to open as planned on Labor Day.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Monday Must Reads: OPD Ordered to Reinstate Punished Cops; Bay Bridge Appears to Have Corrosion Problems, Too
Politics / Law Enforcement & Crime / Transportation Robert Gammon — Mon, May 20, 2013 at 6:57 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. An arbitrator has ordered the Oakland Police Department to reinstate two police commanders who were demoted for their roles in a botched raid that left two officers dead, SFGate reports. The arbitrator ruled that while the two commanders — Captain Rick Orozco, who was demoted to sergeant, and Lieutenant Chris Mufarreh, who was demoted to officer — had made mistakes during the deadly raid, the department’s decision to punish them — and not other commanders who were involved — was “unfair and unbalanced.”
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Traffic Noise Increases Risk of Diabetes
Health & Medicine / Environment / Transportation Craig Butt of Environmental Health News — Sat, May 18, 2013 at 7:19 AM
Noise from honking cars and police sirens can disrupt sleep, but it also may increase the chance of developing diabetes, according to a large study from Denmark. The researchers compared noise levels from road traffic to the incidence of diabetes in 57,000 people. As the noise levels increased, so did the risk for developing the disease. The risk increased by 8 to 11 percent for every 10-decibel (dB) increase in road noise. A decibel is a measure of loudness and intensity of sound.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Tuesday Must Reads: Brown to Propose Big Boost in Education Spending; Feds to Probe Bay Bridge Bolt Scandal
Media / Education / Transportation Robert Gammon — Tue, May 14, 2013 at 6:55 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Governor Jerry Brown will propose a major boost in education spending later this week when he unveils his budget plan, the AP reports. The billions in new spending will be financed by a $4.5 billion increase in tax revenues this year. Brown wants to direct more than a $1 billion toward schools in low-income areas. In addition, he wants to spend another $1 billion to implement new, more rigorous academic standards.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Monday Must Reads: Badly Designed Bolts in New Bridge Tower, Too; Frazier Was Going to Seek Jordan’s Ouster
Law Enforcement & Crime / Environment / Transportation Robert Gammon — Mon, May 13, 2013 at 6:53 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The signature tower of the new Bay Bridge contains more than four hundred giant steel bolts that may be inferior to the 32 rods that have already snapped, SF Gate reports. The 400-plus bolts in the tower had been dipped in hydrochloric acid even though doing so violated industry standards. The acid can make steel more brittle and susceptible to failure, but instructions from Caltrans to forgo the acid baths apparently never made it to the Alabama manufacturer of the rods. It’s too late to replace the rods, however, because they’re no longer accessible in the tower. If the giant bolts break during an earthquake, it could be catastrophic.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Thursday Must Reads: Jordan Says He Was Not Forced Out; US Atty Says Berkeley Pot Club Is too Close to Preschools
Politics / Law Enforcement & Crime / Transportation Robert Gammon — Thu, May 9, 2013 at 6:59 AM
Stories that East Bay progressives and environmentalists shouldn’t miss:
1. Retiring Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan told KGO-TV yesterday that he was not forced out of his job, and decided to step down based on the recommendation of his doctor. Jordan cited an unnamed medical problem as the reason for this sudden retirement — and not a recent scathing report from OPD’s court-appointed Compliance Director Thomas Frazier, who faulted the department’s command staff for failing to investigate police misconduct and hold problem officers accountable for wrongdoing.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Monday Must Reads: Climate Change Could Cause Drought in California; Boxer Angers Environmentalists Over Flood-Control Plan
Politics / Environment / Transportation Robert Gammon — Mon, May 6, 2013 at 6:56 AM
News stories that East Bay environmentalists and progressives shouldn’t miss:
1. Southern California, along with much of the Southwest, could become much more susceptible to drought because of climate change, according to a new study led by NASA, the LA Times$ reports. The study essentially predicts that dry regions around the world will become drier and wet regions will become wetter. Drought and dry conditions also could lead to more massive wildfires in Southern California and an increase demand for water from the Sierra.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Friday Must Reads: Bad Bolt Total Climbs to 2,300 on New Bay Bridge; Sierra Snowpack at Just 17 Percent of Normal
Politics / Environment / Transportation Robert Gammon — Fri, May 3, 2013 at 7:01 AM
News stories that you shouldn’t miss:
1. The number of badly designed bolts installed on the new Bay Bridge now stands at more than 2,300, the Chron$ reports, adding that Caltrans continued to use the overly hard metal fasteners even after the agency had banned their use elsewhere in the state. The newspaper also reports that Caltrans has concluded that 96 of the huge bolts are defective — 32 of those have already snapped. Caltrans allowed the banned bolts to be installed on the bridge because the span was designed in 1995 — nine years before the agency had concluded that they were unsafe because the fasteners can become overly brittle when exposed to the environment.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Wednesday Must Reads: Rents Skyrocket in Oakland; Angry Oakland City Workers Pack Council Meeting
Politics / Business / Transportation Robert Gammon — Wed, May 1, 2013 at 6:59 AM
News stories that East Bay progressives and environmentalists shouldn’t miss:
1. Rent prices jumped 14.8 percent in Oakland during the first quarter of this year, as the average price of an apartment rental in the city reached $1,947 a month, the Chron$ reports, citing a new report from RealFacts. Rent increases in Oakland even outpaced the red-hot San Francisco housing market, where rents rose by 4.8 percent in the same period — although the average rent price in SF is now $2,790.
