Headline News
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Welds on the iconic tower of the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge are flawed and must be repaired, compounding other problems that have beset the project and could delay its planned September opening. Sources confirmed that the California Department of Transportation is working with contractors to fix defects on portions of 20 welds, each nearly 33 feet long and up to 4 inches thick – a protracted process that has been under way for months. The welds are necessary for the tower to withstand a major earthquake.
Sacramento Bee -
Five contractors assisting with the final design of the Central Subway, which will stretch from near AT&T Park to Chinatown, billed the city a combined $335,532 in “unsupported, unallowable, or unreasonable costs,” according to a new report from City Controller Ben Rosenfield’s office.
SF Chronicle -
All of us who’ve tried to drive, park, or worse, own cars in San Francisco know the spots are few and the competition stiff– not to mention the regular war we’re in with the parking enforcement officers and the Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT)...Here we see some creative, though unfortunately not legal, solutions.
SF Chronicle (subscribers only) -
Fundraising for the opening bash planned for the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge – scheduled for the Labor Day weekend – has been suspended. That's the clearest indication yet that the new span's cracked bolts and other problems pose serious risks to a safe opening of this bridge. As The Bee's Charles Piller reported several weeks ago, 32 of 96 giant bolts used to support seismic safety equipment cracked when tightened in March. That's a failure rate of more than 30 percent, alarming to say the least.
Sacramento Bee -
Bay Area transportation officials are planning a big celebration on Labor Day weekend for the opening of new eastern span of the Bay Bridge...Caltrans and Metropolitan Transportation Commission officials have said that they are waiting to make a final decision on the bridge opening until engineers have tested 192 giant steel bolts that could break because they may be too hard and brittle. ...The big bolts are integral to helping the new bridge withstand a major temblor. But a series of investigative reports by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Contra Costa Times, and the Sacramento Bee, which relied on Caltrans documents and interviews with experts from around the nation, have uncovered evidence that the bolts may be defective.
East Bay Expresss -
...(M)ost smart growth advocates remain concentrated on the infill+density+transit formula of the 1990s. The one major addition to the menu that I would recognize since the 1990s has been walkability (and perhaps its cousin, complete streets), and it’s an important one...So I was heartened to see a Twitter link earlier this week to an article in the awkwardly namedUrbDeZine San Diego titled "10 Rules for Smarter Smart Growth."
Atlantic Cities -
...From a traffic standpoint, the flashing yellow arrow has a lot to offer. Drivers overwhelmingly understand what it means — essentially, wait for a gap in conflicting flow before turning — and this flexibility reduces left-turn lines and ultimately congestion. But new research on the flashing yellow has revealed a rather glaring flaw: drivers focus so much on oncoming cars that they fail to notice pedestrians.
Atlantic Cities -
Don’t be surprised if you hear electric car drivers pulling into the McDonald’s at 2242 University Ave. in Riverside say: “I’ll have burgers and fries with my direct current.” The restaurant has installed its Blink Direct Current Fast Charger for electric vehicles, making it the first and only one in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to Scott Watkins, a spokesperson for ECOtality, Blink’s provider.
Riverside Press-Enterprise -
Los Angeles International Airport is a step closer to major renovations that have some neighbors vowing to sue, after the City Council approved a $4.8 billion project Tuesday...Residents say they're skeptical of the airport's claims that the updated runway would more safely accommodate larger, modern planes. They say it's a ploy to draw more traffic to LAX rather than other regional airports.
USA Today -
Today, Department of Transportation employees were once again out in full force, scolding cycling scofflaws. Last week, as bike-share stations were installed, we noticed the swarm of yellow-jackets handing out bike-law pamphlets and chatting up cyclists as they waited at red lights. Were these bike-lane babysitters actually a deterrent to “Premium Rush” types? Well, one cyclist peddling the wrong way dismounted his bike and walked it across the intersection, and another turned off the avenue after a DOT worker blew her whistle at him.
The Local East Village/New York Times