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Is the new Clearwater bridge safe? Engineers study the damage to find out what happened and what the consequences might be.
By JENNIFER FARRELL, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 5, 2002
CLEARWATER -- An 80-foot section of the new Memorial Causeway Bridge sank a foot and rotated to the north and west in a construction accident Tuesday that could delay the $69.3-million project.
No one was injured in the accident, but engineers from Tampa bridge builder PCL Constructors spent Tuesday and Wednesday studying the damage.
The main question is whether the roadway is structurally sound enough to remain in place.
"There is no immediate danger to the public or the construction workers," said city Public Services director Gary Johnson. "The situation is stable."
Johnson said engineers from the state Department of Transportation also checked the site and must approve whatever fix the contractor proposes.
"It's being analyzed by a whole lot of people," he said.
The trouble began Tuesday between 10 and 11 a.m. when crews moved a large set of forms into which concrete for the roadway is poured. Steel cross beams below the hardened concrete accidentally rolled, said Johnson, causing the bridge section to sink and twist.
Johnson said engineers are examining what might have caused the problem.
"Obviously, we don't want this to happen again," he said.
No one would speculate Wednesday on the potential delay or on how much repairs could cost.
But Johnson said the accident won't affect the city's pocketbook.
"This is not something that we would be liable for," he said.
Assistant City Manager Garry Brumback said the structural analysis will determine the next step.
"I don't want anybody to be alarmed," he said. "We may be able to just jack this up a couple of feet and be done with it."
That would be the best-case scenario, Johnson said.
"Then we go on, and it's a minor inconvenience," he said.
But, depending on what engineers find, the problem could require tearing down the 80-foot section and starting over.
"We're evaluating it," said PCL vice president Jerry Harder. "I would highly doubt that it will be more money for the city."
Launched in February, the four-lane bridge project is roughly one-third complete. Before the accident, city officials had planned to open the bridge to traffic late next year, with a finish date set for July 2004.
-- Jennifer Farrell can be reached at (727) 445-4160 or farrell@sptimes.com ">farrell@sptimes.com .