德克萨斯州官员威胁要替换横穿科珀斯克里斯蒂船频道的9.3亿美元桥梁的承包商，并指控该公司未能解决以前确定的设计问题。作为回应，承包商表示，该州已推迟共享关键工程信息，并坚持认为设计是安全的。

得克萨斯州运输部于8月16日向Flatiron/Dragados LLC发出了开发人员违约通知，该公司是设计建造项目背后的合资企业，以建造Corpus Christi的替换港口桥。TXDOT官员表示，该项目团队到目前为止未能解决，此举是关于设计的最新升级。7月，TXDOT命令承包商停止工作在缆线固定的桥梁的主要跨度上。

Marc Williams, executive director of TxDOT, said during a press conference that the move is intended to address the serious concerns about the project and the contractor’s “lack of responsiveness” regarding those concerns. The contractor has repeatedly assured officials that the issues would be addressed but has not made any changes or notified the state of any schedule for correcting nonconforming work, he said.

Flatiron/Dragados有15天的时间来响应通知并解决所谓的设计缺陷。

“Should the contractor fail to adequately address the concerns in this time frame, TxDOT will issue a formal default and begin the process to replace them as the contractor on the project,” Williams said.

发言人熨斗/半径标注gados did not immediately respond to inquiries. In a letter responding to TxDOT’s order to suspend some of the work on the bridge last month—whichTXDOT在线发布与争议有关的其他文件 - Flatiron/Dragados项目经理Keith Armstrong写道，该设计是安全的，其自己的设计师和第三方尚未发现缺陷问题是正确的。

txdothired International Bridge Technologies (IBT), a subsidiary of French transportation engineering firm SYSTRA, to review and validate the design. According to Armstrong’s letter, IBT submitted an initial report to the state last year, but TxDOT did not initially share the findings with the project team, and only finally shared a version of the report this spring, eight months after construction recommenced and just days before a dispute hearing.

“TxDOT’s decision not to disclose IBT’s work on the project; its decision not to disclose IBT’s initial report; and its decision to wait three months to provide necessary data relating to IBT’s April 2022 report are not consistent with current claims of urgency,” Armstrong wrote.

州官员发布了notice of nonconforming workto Flatiron/Dragados on April 29, then ordered a temporary halt on work on the main cable-stay bridge July 15. Armstrong’s letter states that Flatiron/Dragados requested a meeting in June to discuss some of the design elements in questions, but received a response that TxDOT “is not directing FDLLC’s means or sequencing of the progression of the work.”

阿姆斯特朗（Armstrong）声称，尽管承包商真正相信该设计没有缺陷，但国家官员拒绝在没有承包商首先承认不合格的设计的情况下举行任何会议。

“This position is not conducive to a resolution,” he wrote.

However, Williams told reporters that there had been “numerous meetings” between TxDOT, IBT and the contracting team.

“Flatiron/Dragados has refused to acknowledge the safety issues that have been identified or to take any steps to correct them,” Williams said.

Nonconforming Design Elements

As ENR previously reported, TxDOT officials highlighted五个设计元素根据IBT的报告为“不合格”。它们包括塔钻井轴，IBT说，这将在同一基础帽内的多个轴上均具有出色的并发超载。报告称，这些基础上限也不满足面对风事件时抵制弯曲和剪切的要求。

IBT还确定了它所说的是几个缺陷，其中包括三角洲的框架梁连接设计。报告称，一旦发生升高，某些中间码头将无法传输横向载荷。最后，后跨度上层建筑的底部平板在施工过程中的张紧不足。

该设计要求采用1,661英尺长的六车道宽的主跨度，载有37号州际公路，美国181号州际公路和286号州公路。该项目还包括连接道路和互换的重建以及拆除现有的港口桥梁。

TXDOT以前曾提出过对该设计的担忧，并从该项目中删除了原始的记录工程师FIGG桥工程师。Arup和CFC在2020年被添加为新的记录工程师。

阿姆斯特朗在他的信中写道，尽管存在争议和命令在主要范围内停止工作，但Flatiron/Dragados试图最大程度地减少对项目时间表的影响。同时，机组人员已被重新分配到该项目的其他部分。

威廉姆斯说，他无法推测该项目的时间表将受到当前情况的影响。他说，TXDOT将寻求合同补救措施，以收回任何额外的费用。新利18备用官网登录

“This is a generational bridge, and we want to see it done right,” he said.