Mandatory Checks of 400 Buildings Opposed : Quakes: Panel cites costs of inspecting steel frame structures. It wants more study of repair methods

Conceding that the problem of quake-damaged steel frame buildings may be more intractable than expected, a city panel Tuesday backed away from a proposal for costly, mandatory inspections of 400 buildings.

Members of the City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Earthquake Recovery asked for a 30-day study to attempt to reduce the cost after learning the inspection charges alone could range from $10,000 to $60,000 per building.

The panel also asked that building and safety officials continue to study the repair methods recommended, saying questions remain about whether buildings could withstand another major quake.

“For the city to ask someone to spend a million dollars for repairs and tell them that they may have the same damage if we have the same size quake doesn’t make sense,” Councilman Richard Alarcon told the panel.

The panel also asked that housing officials consider devising a plan to relocate residents of steel frame buildings if asbestos is found during repairs.

Councilman Hal Bernson, chairman of the panel, said he is reluctant to require repairs when it is not clear how effective they would be in a quake comparable to that of Jan. 17.

Tests conducted at the University of Texas at Austin have found that the welding techniques recommended by the city failed when subjected to a simulated earthquake of 7.0 magnitude. More recent tests have been more promising but are still under review.

Widespread reports of cracks in welded joints on steel frame buildings shocked many engineers because steel frames are designed to bend without breaking in the enormous force of a quake.

Under the proposal, owners of steel frame buildings in the hardest-hit areas of the city would be required to inspect at least 10% of the main joints of the buildings. The inspections would be required with three months of notification by the city.

The cost could be high because high-rise steel frame buildings can have as many as 300 main joints, each of which can cost as much as $2,000 to inspect, building officials said.

Once inspections are completed and reports are filed with the city, repairs would have to be completed within one year.

The inspection program would concentrate on 400 steel frame buildings, including about 25 residential buildings, in the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles, where quake damage was most severe.

Depending on the results of the inspections, the city may consider ordering inspections of 1,000 more buildings citywide.

Bernson and Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky questioned the need to inspect 10% of the joints in each building, saying the cost to some owners may be prohibitive. They suggested building and safety officials find a less expensive way of assessing damage.

“I think you need to reduce as much as practical the amount of expense it takes,” Yaroslavsky told building officials.

In a related development, the City Council gave the head of the Building and Safety Department the power to impose tougher construction standards than those currently on the books.

The move, adopted unanimously, is intended to incorporate proposed upgrades into the repair and reconstruction work taking place citywide.

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