Sacramento Bee Declines Retraction On Bay Bridge Story
SACRAMENTO (CBS / AP) -- The Sacramento Bee has rejected a request from the California Department of Transportation to retract a story that raised concerns about the structural integrity of a foundation of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
Bee Executive Editor Joyce Terhaar said after newsroom editors and reporter Charles Piller checked issues raised by Caltrans, the newspaper determined it would not issue a retraction.
The story, published in the paper May 27, reported that a 19-foot section of concrete had not hardened to the required strength before tests were conducted.
In a statement, Terhaar said information in the Bee's story "was vetted by internationally known experts and supported by Caltrans' own documents."
But Caltrans officials say testing had showed the concrete had set.
Caltrans spokeswoman Tamie McGowen said the agency was "done debating structural engineering issues with the Sacramento Bee" and that the "concrete is absolutely sound and the Bay Bridge is safe."
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