Big Dig Leaks - $15 billion and they forgot to caulk it!

[yoda313]

Hello,

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041110/ap_on_re_us/big_dig_leaks

Yep the government at work again

Kevin

[Doramius]

Actually, it doesn't look like the gov't is at fault. In fact the gov't is refusing to allow taxpayers to pay for a company being incompetent. I wonder if the roadway is insured.

[zzyzzx]

Probably some of that cement they bought at 3X the normal cost from a minority contractor, and then they forget to test it.

[Capmaster]

Probably some of that cement they bought at 3X the normal cost from a minority contractor, and then they forget to test it.

Sounds like where I work ...paying way more than the going rate just to buy from a minority or disadvantaged local business Makes the guys in charge of the money happy

[gmatov]

How about some of the concrete they bought from the sole surviving supplier in the region,as here in SW PA, where the Stone Corp has bought out just about everybody else.

Cement, by the way, is a component of "concrete", you do not have a "cement highway", you have a concrete highway, or driveway, or sidewalk, or whatever.

Back to the sole supplier, just ease off a little on one of the components, cement, sand, aggregate, you change the resulting material, drastically.

Watch "Condominium" sometime,I think they did a very good explanation of how you **** up concrete. At least John D. McDonald did in his original novel.

Cheers,

George

[Craig Tucker]

Good to se you back George. Where you been ?

[zzyzzx]

Back to the sole supplier, just ease off a little on one of the components, cement, sand, aggregate, you change the resulting material, drastically.

That's why you always have to test it on big construction projects. Now if you are doing your sidewalk, it's not as critical...

[Doramius]

Back to the sole supplier, just ease off a little on one of the components, cement, sand, aggregate, you change the resulting material, drastically.

That's why you always have to test it on big construction projects. Now if you are doing your sidewalk, it's not as critical...

Yeah, you just replace your sidewalk once every 3 years. To do a section of highway is a completely different story, especially when it's underground and underwater. This is where there is a restructuring of inspectors and testers. The next thing is, what measures have to be taken to repair it and check for full damage. I'm not going through that tunnel if it has the potential of collapsing. The pressure of the water breaking through the concrete would be enough to crush a car on it's own. and you're adding a couple of tons of concrete to reinforce that weight and crushing power. Not my choice way of going about death.

[zzyzzx]

I'm not going through that tunnel if it has the potential of collapsing. The pressure of the water breaking through the concrete would be enough to crush a car on it's own. and you're adding a couple of tons of concrete to reinforce that weight and crushing power.

The steel will keep it from collapsing. Espically once it fills up with water from the leak and the pressure inside and outside the tunnel are equalized.

Seriously, I used to work at a huge Waste Water treatment plant (as in where it goes when you flush) in construction management. The cement was tested.