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:: Friday, November 14, 2003 ::

Missing Connections to Wall May Have Weakened Garage By Richard Korman - ENR
"A lot of people see that there isn’t any [rebar] there and wonder whether it is a cause of collapse and whether it has become a point of contention," says one source. Poor shoring and other factors at the site may have provided the trigger, while slab-to-wall connections played a secondary role. "Did it exacerbate things? It may well have," he says.

Another contractor who worked on the project claims that no significant rebar ties the wall to the floors. "The wall worked, but there was no connection to the floors," he says.

Missing or inadequate floor-to-wall connections fit the emerging picture of the project as it rushed to meet a March 2004 opening date. The 2,400-car garage was a key part of the $245-million Tropicana expansion, the biggest project in Atlantic City in a decade. The pressure to move faster was felt all over the site, people on the project say, and patience and materials often were in short supply. The big rush came after the heavy winter weather subsided. "The past months were very intense," says one contractor.

Slideshow: Parking Garage Collapses In Atlantic City
image 7 will give pause to those in the trade...

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