Tests find no problem with welds on bridge Jim Herron Zamora, San Francisco Chronicle
A series of tests found no problems with welds on the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, federal officials said Wednesday, casting doubt on workers' allegations that the main contractor had ordered them to cover up shoddy construction in the foundations of support columns.
The Federal Highway Administration said the tests by three independent contractors showed that welds pulled from three 500-pound steel chunks of the bridge 'either met or exceeded required specifications,' with enough strength to anchor the foundation to rock beneath the bay floor and support the bridge to be constructed above.