20150515_Wake Tech Bridges Collapsed Because of Design Flaw, State Finds_News

5/19/2015 WakeTechbridgescollapsedbecauseofdesignflaw,statefinds|News&ObserverNews&Observer

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wakecounty/article21075972.html 1/4

MAY 15, 2015

Wake Tech bridges collapsed because of designflaw, state finds

BY RON GALLAGHER AND ANDREW [email protected]

A design flaw may have led to the fatal collapse of a pedestrian bridge during construction atWake Techs Northern Campus in November, the state Department of Labor found.

The collapse on Nov. 13 killed one worker and hurt four others. A second, similar bridge collapsedwithout injuries.

First responders transport an injured workman after an elevated concrete walkway under construction atthe Wake Tech North Campus in Raleigh collapsed, killing one worker and injuring four on Thursday,November 13, 2014. | ABC 11



The collapses were caused by design flaws associated with notches in the bridges supportinggirders, according to Labor Department spokesman Neal OBriant. The girders were made ofglulam, an engineered wood product that can be bent into curved shapes.

The Labor Departments Occupational Safety & Health Division concluded that StewartEngineering Inc. should have spotted a flaw in the design as it prepared drawings of the structure,OBriant said. But the department wont fine or sanction the company because it doesnt regulateengineering.

There arent any regulations that cover the design of the bridge itself, said Jay Wilkerson, a lawpartner with Conner Gwyn Schenck who is not involved with the case and was commentinggenerally. Thats just a matter of professional responsibility.

But some of the engineers involved could face fines, or lose their licenses, in a subsequentinvestigation by a state licensing board for engineers. Victims and families of victims of thecollapse also may file civil lawsuits for injury and wrongful death.

Workers were pouring concrete for the bridge when a 140-foot section plunged into a ravine onthe morning of Nov. 13. The fall was as much as 40 feet in places, emergency officials said thatday.

A second partially completed bridge fell that night. Skanska had suspended work on that spanafter the first collapse, and no one was injured when it fell.

The Occupational Safety & Health Division found that engineering design deficienciescontributed to the collapse of both pedestrian bridges.

The division sent its conclusion to Stewart Engineering, the firm that prepared shop drawings forthe bridge-builders to follow; to Skanska USA Buildings, the general contractor; and to J.O.Concrete Services Inc., whose workers were putting up the first bridge when it fell.

The Engineered Wood Association, an industry group, calls glulam a highly innovativeconstruction material that pound for pound is stronger than steel.

The material consists of wood layers laminated together with a heavy-duty bonding agent. Thecollapse of a skating rink in Germany, which killed 15 people in 2006, was reported to haveinvolved a glulam support that compressed when it was exposed to moisture, the New CivilEngineer reported.

Stewart Engineering released a written statement on the collapse late Friday morning.



Stewart cooperated fully with the OSHA investigation and is committed to continue in that regardwith other investigations, company representative Mary Heath said. Because of ongoinginvestigations, it is not appropriate for us to discuss this matter publicly at this time. We continueto assist and work earnestly with all the involved parties to move the process forward.

The state Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors is in the earliest stages of its owninquiry into the collapses, according to Andrew Ritter, the groups executive director.

The board is empowered by the state both to grant licenses for engineers and to discipline themfor their failings. The board received notice of the states general findings last week, Ritter said.

Now its investigators will determine what penalties, if any, might be appropriate in this case.

In a complex case, we are trying to get every piece of paper thats involved in this project,perhaps 500 to 1,000 pages, and talking to everyone involved, primarily in the engineeringaspect, he said.

Multiple engineers might be the subject of the investigation, he said. The boards maximumpunishments are a $5,000 fine and the revocation of an engineers license.

Kenney: 919-829-4870;

Twitter: @KenneyNC

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20150515_Wake Tech Bridges Collapsed Because of Design Flaw, State Finds_News