Houston Chronicle by Dug Begley March 9, 2020
Engineers raise ‘significant concerns’ on Ship Channel Bridge design, delaying billion-dollar project
Designers of the $1 billion Ship Channel Bridge project made faulty assumptions about the soil around the bridge’s critical supports above and below ground, did not properly account for winds on the stability of the supports and failed to factor in the weight of two-way traffic on the southbound span while the northbound structure is built, according to engineers hired by the county to review the plan.
The structural and design issues were among 21 “significant concerns†raised by COWI, an international consulting and engineering firm brought on by Harris County Commissioners Court earlier this year to review the design by FIGG Bridge Group.
Others issues include pylons, pillars and support cables that do not meet the county’s specifications in various ways and possible changes to how construction should proceed on the bridge that carries the Sam Houston Tollway across the Houston Ship Channel. The tollway is owned and managed by the Harris County Toll Road Authority, which began designing the bridge in 2014. Construction started in April 2018.
More:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Engineers-raise-significant-concerns-on-15118122.php
