The State - News from March 24, 1986

Design and construction defects in the $52.5-million Golden Gate Bridge renovation could cost up to $13 million more in overruns and repairs, according to a copyrighted report in the San Francisco Examiner. The renovation was completed last fall. But now, according to Golden Gate Bridge and Highway and Transportation District officials, pieces of paint--in some cases as big as bed sheets--have begun to peel off the underside of the bridge, exposing the structural steel to the corroding effects of salt-laden moisture and wind. Also at issue are scores of hairline cracks that have surfaced along the newly laid sidewalks on both sides of the bridge. Sources told the Examiner that the cracks may leave the steel reinforcing rods inside the concrete vulnerable to corrosion from the salt air and cause the sidewalks to crumble.