New documents raise questions about the integrity of the steel rods that hold together the Bay Bridge eastern span and point to potentially widespread problems that experts warn could lead to premature failure. An engineer who studied tiny cracks found in flooded rods at the base of the bridge’s tower — a problem Caltrans has downplayed — discovered similar cracks in rods elsewhere on the $6.4 billion span. Separately, Caltrans now concedes that it did not inspect the new bridge’s 2,000-plus rods when they were delivered to ensure their threads met industry...
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