Report: Bolts Along Bay Bridge Bike Path Fail

State transportation officials will inspect another set of problematic bolts on the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports numerous bolts used to anchor the railing along the new span’s bicycle path have failed, forcing Caltrans to make plans to replace hundreds of the steel parts.

The newspaper says crews that built the railing welded the bolts firmly in their slots rather than leaving a small amount of room to accommodate a natural expansion of the bike path that happens in hot weather.

As a result, many of the bolts have been sheared off along the 1.2-mile bike path.

The new problem comes to light as officials are scheduled to update the public about repairs to 32 seismic safety rods that broke after being tightened.