Interstate 80 Concrete Cracking Already, Will Cost More Than $2M To Fix
NATOMAS (CBS13) — A Caltrans project on Interstate 80 is now going in reverse as freshly laid concrete needs to be torn apart and redone.
The cost of the mistake will be between $2 million and $3 million, and taxpayers may have to foot the bill.
The concrete problem on westbound Interstate 80 in Natomas was discovered where a new carpool lane is being added.
"They laid out all this nice concrete, and now they're digging holes in it, and from my perspective it makes no sense whatsoever," said Michael Mui.
He's a contractor who drives in the area, and isn't too happy to find out the fresh concrete is being busted up and torn out just weeks after it was poured.
That concrete is already starting to crack.
"That's why you do it right the first time," he said. "It does frustrate me. There's so much waste in this state, and it's going on and on, and nobody seems to be doing anything about it."
Caltrans made the discovery two weeks ago.
"Our inspector said we're going to have to do this all over again," said Caltrans spokesman Dennis Keaton.
About two miles of 10-inch thick concrete has to be redone. Eventually it will be a new carpool lane on westbound 80 near Natomas, but for now, it's a multimillion-dollar headache.
While taxpayers could foot the bill, Caltrans says it may look to the contractor to foot the bill.
But for now, they're reviewing everything, and say other factors, including weather may be to blame for the cracked concrete.
"Right now, we just don't want to be pointing fingers," Keaton said, "just want to make sure the job gets done."
CBS13 tried to contact the contractor CC Myers, Inc., but they didn't respond about the pricy problem threatening to delay the project.
The $133 million project will add 10 miles of carpool lanes to both directions of I-80—concrete on the eastbound side isn't cracked.
Caltrans hopes to have the project done by fall 2015, but with these new delays, it's not sure if that will be done.
