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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Corruption in Concrete |
| 2009-09-13 |
| The Bloomberg administration has moved decisively to deal with a burgeoning scandal in the industry that tests the strength and durability of concrete used in public and private construction projects in New York City. The city's decision to create a laboratory to evaluate concrete for city building projects will help to fend off shoddy building materials that could shorten the lives of public structures and that could potentially leave them vulnerable to catastrophic failure. Beyond that, a new unit in the Buildings Department will audit the work of the three dozen or so companies that the department licenses to evaluate concrete used in construction. These changes come in the wake of a widening investigation by the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Robert Morgenthau, which has already charged two testing companies as well as some executives with fraud for allegedly falsifying concrete testing results for both public and private structures. Investigators have also uncovered documents that suggest possible collusion between a tester and contractors, who are said to have ordered overnight delivery of test reports that are supposed to take 28 days to complete. The investigation is still in the early stages and could yet uncover pervasive fraud in this crucial industry. The city testing laboratory will be located in the Bronx and operated by the city's Department of Design and Construction. In addition to testing concrete for a wide range of city agencies and projects, the lab will also help the Buildings Department audit concrete tests performed by private companies. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #13 Already have them in New York, |
| Posted by: Pappy 2009-09-13 23:07 |
| #12 Chicago, concrete, corruption and bribes, politicians, f*ck'n around, trucks. I think we may be having a Jimmy Hoffa moment here very soon. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-09-13 19:04 |
| #11 I'm putting that on my resume |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-09-13 18:30 |
| #10 "We don't f*ck around, but then, we also don't take bribes." Sorry, Frank - you have no future in politics. Congratulations. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-09-13 18:09 |
| #9 actually, AP - Caltrans/ACI spec allows 42-day tests for >4,000 psi :-) We test all concrete, even curb/gutter 2500 psi, and trench cap. Slump limits are met by not allowing truck drivers or pump operators to add water without Engineer's approval. If they do, we reject, at their expense. Seeing as a 9.5 yd truck is $1,000-$1,500 depending on the mix, they learn quickly. We don't f*ck around, but then, we also don't take bribes |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-09-13 17:16 |
| #8 Commodore Frank---you left one thing out. You do the 28 day strength test on the 28th day after the pour. And do not forget to leave a concrete truck washout area, or the EPA will fine your a$$, big time. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2009-09-13 16:25 |
| #7 In Chicago/Cook County, only the 'special' cylinders get tested for proper PSI rating, based on what I'm told. The 'normal' cylinders (if they ever were made) might have had a tad too much 'slump' in them (water added for transport time or something) so they're probably not the ones they really want tested. I'm an 'electrical guy' and know about concrete only through 'osmosis', though. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2009-09-13 16:18 |
| #6 very simple - you make a cylinder, you crack it. All the time. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-09-13 12:07 |
| #5 Corruption in Concrete? Without a weak bag mix, where would the road construction industry be in Chicago and Cook County? They make it sound like advanced astropartical physics. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe concrete testing is a rather simple, straight forward process. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-09-13 12:00 |
| #4 Test me you fool! The Flyash Liberation Army sez whooopie it's movin! |
| Posted by: The FLA 2009-09-13 11:33 |
| #3 we test all our asphalt, concrete, aggregate, rebar. If San Diego can do it, why can't NYC? Ohhhhh ....could it be corruption? /cynic |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-09-13 11:31 |
| #2 And he thinks his gummint bureaucracy won't be open to fraud and corruption because....? For a rich guy, Bloomberg's remarkably clueless. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-09-13 10:26 |
| #1 The shoddy materials are the ones we call politicians and bureaucrats. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2009-09-13 10:08 |