Whistleblowers allege poor construction of new parking garage at airport, council president says
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The president of Allegheny County Council said whistleblowers contacted him with allegations of poor construction of the new parking garage at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority, though, said any safety concerns are unfounded and it has identified solutions for cosmetic hairline cracks.
Allegheny County Council President Patrick Catena said he was sent several pictures and a video showing cracks in the floors of a parking garage that's being built at Pittsburgh International Airport. According to Catena, a handful of people reached out to him with concerns about the quality of work being done, fearing it would be swept under the rug if it wasn't made public.
"There are allegations that the principal contractor for the parking garage - Michael Baker International, Inc. - is aware that the condition of the parking decks in the garage is of substandard quality. There are also allegations that Baker has directed a subcontractor - Rycon Construction, Inc. - to apply a coating to the parking decks to conceal the quality issues, rather than fixing them," Catena said.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority runs the airport, and the county still owns the land. Control over what happens on the property was given to the airport authority about 25 years ago, and the authority is required to maintain the airport in good condition and repair.
"It thus appears any cover up of the deficient construction quality in the new garage would also cover up a potential default on the contract by the airport authority," Catena said.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority told KDKA-TV it is disappointing Catena did not contact it directly with any safety concerns, which it says are unfounded.
The airport authority statement also said, in part, "During the preparations to apply a finishing coating on a portion of the new parking garage, hairline cracks appeared. These cracks are cosmetic, and our analysis shows no impact on the structural integrity of the building. The contractor has already developed a plan to seal the cracks in the coming weeks, and the ACAA is closely monitoring the situation through our rigorous quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) program."
Catena is calling on the airport authority to do a review of the alleged construction issues and give the council and the chief executive a thorough, transparent report by Nov. 21, or he'll initiate a council investigation.
He said he wants to make sure the work is done in the best fashion for all the people who use the airport.
"I think we need to look at everything, at some point whether that's cosmetic, at some point, even if they seal it, that's not going to last," Catena said.
"I have concerns that it needs to be done correctly and safely, and want to make sure that's it going to last because this is a lot of money, not the taxpayers funding the airport but a lot of money being spent on this project," he added.
KDKA-TV reached out to Michael Baker International., which said, "Michael Baker International, Inc. ("Michael Baker") is a full-service engineering and architecture firm and provided the initial design of the parking garage. Michael Baker is not a construction contractor. Michael Baker has not done any construction onsite and does not have the authority to direct any construction contractor or subcontractor."
KDKA-TV also reached out to Rycon Construction for comment, because Catena mentioned the company in his press conference and it helped with the project but did not hear back on Tuesday.