Caltrans: Bridge opening date not firm [Chron] [AP via ABC7]
“Metallurgist Yun Chung, a retired engineer who once worked for Bechtel , produced a 32-page report that cites inadequate steel specifications and claims Caltrans engineers were ignorant to the threat of hydrogen embrittlement—a process in which high strength metals, such as steel, become brittle and fracture due to hydrogen exposure.”
Bechtel Engineer Says Caltrans ‘Fell On Its Face’ Over New Bay Bridge Steel [KCBS]
“Please allow us to re-introduce ourselves — and become the good neighbors we want to be.”
The Mill hosts an outreach meeting for planned Parklet [Alamo Square]
“Along with reducing the retention rates for Clipper card holders, the MTC will reinforce its policy of only sharing the personal data with its partner transit agencies, the card’s manufacturers, the California Department of Justice and other sources when legally necessary. Clipper customers do have the option of using the card anonymously by paying cash or not registering it to a credit card.”
Retention times for Clipper card information may be reduced [Ex]
“At the Thursday board of directors meeting, BART officials will discuss new communication strategies, upcoming training programs and efforts to improve relationships with other agencies. All of the proposals are aimed at improving safety conditions for workers and passengers, with specifics to be discussed in more detail at the meeting.”
BART to review safety measures for employees, customers [Ex]
“When you use the BART QuickPlanner, your trip plan will show one of the following icons, indicating the crowd levels on the trains: three heads (heavy crowds), two heads (moderate crowds) or one head (light crowds).”
New Gadget Helps BART Passengers Decide if the Train Is Just Too Damn Crowded to Ride [Weekly] [BART] [KCBS]
“Nevius tells us a correction ran in the Chronicle today. The column has been scrubbed online; it now notes that if the boring machines are left underground (or a pack of Boy Scouts or homeless men are given an acetylene torch and told to keep cutting until nothing’s bigger than a golden retriever) ‘the city would have to buy them — for roughly $5 million.'”
Central Subway: Leaving Boring Machines in the Ground Won’t Cost $55 Million [Weekly]
“Multiple cable car operators contacted by SF Weekly independently claimed that every driver knows the emergency brake won’t work properly on key stretches — such as California between Stockton and Grant — because it’s been thrown so many times over the years the tracks have warped and widened.”
Running of the Bull: Cable Cars Are Trundling Money Away From the Transit You Actually Use [Weekly]
“Mansell Street, which runs through McLaren Park, is poised to get a two-way bikeway and a walking and jogging path separated from motor traffic under a plan approved by the Recreation and Parks Commission last week.”
Separated Bike-Ped Path Coming to Mansell Street in McLaren Park by 2016 [Streetsblog]
