edge540 wrote:
After looking into it I found out that the Chinese are more advanced than we are when it comes to building bridges
Quote:
Offshore fabrication of components
Even though controversial, authorities decided to allow bids to include major components and materials not made in the United States. This was partially due to the cost of materials, but more substantially, required by the lack of suitable fabrication facilities within this country, or even within the western hemisphere. Since such facilities would have to be built anew and the prospects of additional work (at that time) would be either low or uncertain, the cost of fabrication would be much higher due to the facilities cost being supported by a single job. As acceptance of Federal Highway funds generally comes with "Made in America" restrictions, the bridge is being built without such funds, for which it would otherwise qualify owing to its carriage of Interstate 80. In contrast, China has both low cost materials producers and major fabricators of bridge components, due to the current and extensive investment in infrastructure being made by its government. In fact, the Chinese facilities producing the SAS deck components was built anew, with the speculative expectation that further work, both in China and abroad, would allow the extensive capital costs to be amortized over a number of subsequent projects. Other major components have been produced in Japan (not known as a low cost producer), owing to the availability of large steel casting, welding, and machining capabilities. Suspender saddles come from England. A spokesman for the joint venture claimed the United States (in both private and public spheres) has neglected to make such investments for quite a long time and has as a consequence lost the ability to make suitably large steel components for civil structures such as this bridge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_sp ... Bay_Bridge