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	Vol.7, No 9, September 14, 1999
	Faulty local freeways Caltrans officials announced Sunday that several bridges in the Southland could pose dangerous problems in the event of a moderate earthquake.   So much for the department providing quality highways for Southern California commuters.   Caltrans officials have actually known about the problem for two years, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. The problem stems from support welds that reinforce the columns of the bridges.   Officials at the department discovered the faulty welds in an interchange in San Diego. Caltrans, then, launched a review of 1,100 bridges. From that number, the department found almost 300 bridges that were in need of further testing.   The danger closest to campus is located in Anaheim at the Orange Crush interchange, where the 5, 57, and 22 freeways converge.   Caltrans engineers stress that the bridges will not collapse in a moderate earthquake.    That information may allow a sigh of relief for area drivers, but still raises the question: why wasnít it done right in the first place?    Anyone who drives Southland freeways knows how long it can take for Caltrans to make the necessary repairs to our highways. Recent construction on the 605 freeway took more than four years to complete. And the bridges at the Orange Crush, which are only three years old, took more than a year to finish.   Caltrans is the only state agency with the right to monitor and repair our freeways. Every year, it spends millions of dollars to repair the roadways for California drivers. Why can't the department also use some of that money to test the materials that are used to construct the roadways?   It takes long enough to fix the freeways. Why can't things be done right to begin with?   If faulty items are used in construction projects, it only creates more traffic congestion when the problems need to be repaired.   Caltrans is estimating that it will cost nearly $4 million to test and repair the faulty welds in the Orange Crush along with the $4.5 million already being spent to repair other faulty welds.   The former president of a company that took X-rays of the welds said that Caltrans knew of the possible problems.   "They saw everything that we were doing," Richard Guerrerio told the Times. "This isn't anything new."   If that is really the case, why werenít the problems fixed before the interchange was finished in 1996? And why did Caltrans approve use of the welds in 1995?   Caltrans now plans to replace the faulty welds in December. Why it plans to wait so long is beyond me. The interchange is located about four miles from a fault line. What if there is a major earthquake on that fault within the next few months?   Besides, the Orange Crush is right near several shopping centers such as the Block at Orange and Main Place Shopping Center in Santa Ana. With all the holiday shopping and construction, traffic is going suck.		Ex-worker accuse of abuse Muslims stay devoted on campus Sci-fi writer shares her experiences Journalism department has new faces Campus construction draws criticism Recycling center makes campus greener Actor portrays famous Gold Rush-era herbalist Faulty local freeways Presidential campus praise Allegations fly in defense of writing exam Hip-Hop radio show bounces 'Legacy of Kain' shines Outer realm has right elements Santana focuses on young crowd LBSU athletic events in tune Only three LBSU runners make trip to invitational Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.