The Bridge Over Troubled Commuters
Like most of our readers, I’ve got a pretty firm grasp of freeway construction and what it takes to put up a good, solid $12-million flyover that can handle thousands of cars. Kind of makes me wonder, then, why things have gotten all goofed up there at the junction of the 55 and 405 freeways.
But they have, which will bum out drivers who pass through there, with each trip seemingly more death-defying than the one before. It is this generation of Orange County drivers’ particular hell to watch Caltrans improve our freeway system, while trying to stay alive long enough to see the finished product.
For a long time now, the 405-55 (oh, let’s throw in the 73, too) zone has resembled a battleground. Iraq should look so good after the U.S. runs through it. Large piles of dirt, huge blocks of concrete, giant cranes looming over the horizon as earth movers rumble -- they’re as much a part of the Orange County landscape as wildflowers and eucalyptus.
Still, we soldier on because we’re told things are getting better. We put up with lanes that once were there but no longer are, with exit ramps that one day are all yours and the next day include onrushing traffic from your blind spot. We accept wavy traffic lanes that make you think you’re drunk when you’re not, all while you’re driving in what often seems like a NASCAR qualifying run.
And, oh, the concrete abutments that have become a fixture on the freeway. We’ll miss them when they’re gone, along with the excitement of watching other cars miss scraping them by six inches at 70 mph.
All in the name of progress.
Now, we get the grim news.
Even though we all learned with Tinker Toys how to build a simple flyover (just connect one piece to the other), somebody on this project forgot something. Some chunks of concrete have cracked and fallen from the new flyover that will connect the 405 and the 55. Experts have said the bridge (more like a long ramp) won’t fall down, but neither can they guarantee it could handle the expected passenger load. An April 2003 opening has been delayed for months.
You can imagine everyone’s embarrassment. Knowing how easy it is to build a $12-million bridge, the various parties are wondering who screwed up and hoping it’s not them.
The Times has reported one possibility: Taxpayers -- those same people who risk life and limb daily while navigating the zone -- might be on the hook. That is not a foregone conclusion, however, and I say if we can pin it on the designers or builders, let’s do it.
We lay people, given our knowledge of freeway and bridge construction, have a pretty good idea what happened here. My own suspicions were confirmed when I read in the paper last week that there had been previously expressed fears that “cable connecting ducts” needed additional support.
Had to be, I thought. If true, that would mean the girder ducts might blow out during prestressing. Nobody wants to see a blown-out girder duct.
As it turns out, my concerns reflected the exact language -- made available in a report last week -- used by a Caltrans engineer who was quoting the project manager for the builder.
OK, so, we’re all on the same page here. Let’s fix this thing.
On behalf of the drivers who have suffered enough in the 55-405 zone, let me offer some simple suggestions: First, eliminate chunks of concrete falling from the bridge. Then, bolster those cable connecting ducts.
If you have any other questions, give me a call.
Readers may reach Parsons by calling (714) 966-7821.
