Questions Raised On Bay Bridge Safety Test

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Bee is reporting that a California Department of Transportation technician responsible for crucial tests to ensure the safety of the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge span is under investigation.

The paper reports in its Sunday editions that the probe is in connection with testing for major transportation projects throughout the state.

The newspaper says it uncovered falsified safety tests by the technician.

The tech has been put on administrative leave and the paper says the tech's previous work on a busy Los Angeles highway bridge, an Oakland freeway sign and other projects is now being probed by federal and state officials.

At a projected cost of $6.3 billion, the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge is the largest public works project in California history, and it is poised to open for public use in in 2013.

Engineers have repeatedly stressed the need to ensure bridge can withstand the strongest anticipated earthquake.

(Copyright 2011 The Associated Press)