European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 11, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                In Bridges Bridge Yofan innate 5, All bul Xigen Irvey of 5. And d in the w Perls Ting Al ild a is decades could be ibs. 4 to on of he Ibl Ems t Cable ii dozen ologies id Hal ridges ends by the nearly Desin now use Juby is that the ers 0 major we been to and that is a very serious problem fms Lehwalder. Who is now retired said from Munich. The designers have very Little knowledge of these problems. They believe that this construction is Good but in is not  other experts vehemently dispute those charges la s  said Eugene Figg. Of Figg & Fuller a Florida Lirra that has designed major Cable stay Bridges in the United Stales and abroad. We take All the precautions that Are necessary another prominent designer Arvid Grant of Arvid Grant associates in Olympia wash., said in an interview that the Oil engineering journal had overstepped the Bounds of professional standards the journal s editor Virginia Fairweather rejected that assertion saying the article had been reviewed by experts before publication the Public should not be misled Wilh innuendoes with conjectures Grant said. Don confuse the european mistakes Wilh Lile. Those Are historical relics they Don t apply anymore several designers said that Watson and stall Ord were unqualified of assess the safety of the Bridges since neither is an Engineer they Are longtime executives of construction and manufacturing companies in the Bridge Industry and they say they became concerned about Cable stayed Bridges by  Figg accused hem of trying to sell an anti corrosion system a charge they denied. We re not Selling anything Watson said. We Aren t engaging in hyperbole. We re showing actual  particularly in West Germany and France Watson and Stafford have documented serious problems of corroded wires. For example All of the cables of the Kohlbrand Estuary Bridge in Hamburg Buill in 19b1, had to be replaced three years later alter corrosion was acc Dently discovered. A recon inspection of the Kurt Schumacher Bridge the main Rhine crossing at Mannheim for both automobile and rail traffic Lound 2,500 individual Breaks in its corrosion Protection system. The Bridge which is just it years old requires a comp Lole renovation at enormous Cost. Cable stayed Bridges in the United states have avoided the most serious european problems designers say. The Federal government requires that they be Buill in a Way that allows individual cables to be replaced when necessary without jeopardizing the entire Structure. That lessens the risk of a catastrophic collapse when one or a Lew cables fail and in makes repairs More practical. The Federal official responsible for Bridge engineering Walter Podolny of the Federal Highway administration said that european Bridges of the 1950s and 1960s used an especially Short lived method of corrosion Protection Hal was never adopted for inc american Bridges. I m unaware of any corrosion problem with Cable stayed Bridges in inc u.s.," Podolny said. Certainly whal Walson has said is not untrue but in my opinion he s come on Loo  the first american Cable stayed Bridge was the 1971 Pasco Kennewick spanning the Columbia River in Washington stale designed by Grant. Others include the Sunshine Skyway near Tampa. Fla which replaced a Bridge Hal collapsed in 1980. And the Outing Bridge which opened in Louisiana in i9b4. Corrosion Prol Odion systems vary. On most recent Cable Slayer Bridges the cables Are surrounded by Cement grouting and completely enclosed in polyethylene plastic pipe sometimes. The pipe is also wrapped with tape. The Survey by Watson and Stalford has found Many instances even on the Young american Bridges of cracked protective pipe and worn tape because of the wrapping they argue it is impossible to 1ctt whether the cables have begun to corrode. The chemical processes of corrosion Are closely interwoven Wilh the physical processes of Metal Aligue. A weakening of Metal that develops irom repealed stress. The connection is poorly understood though. From la. To vegas by magnetic rail is use wide i have tidings 0 in Lilc in ional is. To wrote. Asking signers and Rig me o be the ties. Bul corrosion cled. I on and 1 Cable making a water of a Long an old dream revived by Richard w. Stevenson new York times Twenty years ago when Howard Hughes proposed to make Las vegas. Nev., the Hub of futuristic High Speed rail Lino the Lew people who listened Houghl the idea was As eccentric As in billionaire himself. Today his vision does not seem Al All far fetched. Officials of the desert cily want to build a system to whisk gamblers from Southern California to us vegas at More than 250 Mph aboard magnetically levitated trains. The officials say the project is financially and technically feasible although such a full scale system has never been built. Despite the scepticism Many politicians and business executives in Nevada and California agree the rail line has a Lair shot at becoming reality. This project is very real and very imminent said Arnie Adamsen a City councilman who is a major project Backer. The Legislatures of both Stales each Are appointing eight members to a commission to review the plans. By year s end the commission could select a consortium probably dominated by West German and japanese concerns to finance build and operate the system the rail line under this scenario could be running by 1995 Al a Cost of $2.5 billion. The California terminus would most Likely be in Ontario. 35 mites East of los Angeles with a possible Spur line running into Anaheim Home of Disneyland. Al top speeds of 250 Mph the 280-mile trip would take 75 minutes. 15 minutes slower than an air plane but Lour hours Aster than inc seemingly endless desert drive that millions of californians endure each year. Studies estimate the round trip Cost at s65, at least $30 cheaper than current los Angeles Las vegas air fares. If it Ever materializes the magnetically operated train would be a dream come True for the gaming and tourist Industry. Southern California is Home to 40 percent of the 16 million people who visited the hotels and casinos Here last year. A City study said the availability of fast inexpensive rail service would induce 28 percent More californians to travel Here. Moreover tha Irain would insulate Las vegas from the gasoline shortages and Price increases thai hurl tourism  project would also provide an american showcase Tor a technology dominated by West Germany and Japan. This could be a prototype for the entire nation said Ashley Hall Las vegas City manager. Florida. Texas and other Stales Are considering similar programs. Sceptics question whether the technology is ready for Lull scale commercial use and they doubt construction costs could be held to the $2.5 billion estimate. The plan faces serious political hurdles in California As Well. Local officials near Anaheim worry about traffic jams As people drive to the Irain and some members of the slate legislature Are troubled by a project designed primarily to Deposit Cam orians arid their Money in the gambling Halls of another state. If people thought they could go from los Angeles to Las vegas in 70 minutes in would bring crowds you could t comprehend said one top Casino executive who asked not to be identified but California is not Ever going to support  Las vegas of Licals though have some answers to satisfy sceptics. The project is almost certain to be Buill around a system developed by the Wesl German consortium trans rapid. Financed by More than $500 million irom the Wesl German government trans rapid has a prototype operating up to 252 Mph on a 20-mile test Irack in West Germany. Las vegas of Licals believe similar work by two japanese groups is at least live years behind the germans. Las vegas studies suggest 4 million riders would use the system the first year gradually increasing to 5 million. A $65 fare would generate sufficient Revenue to pay of the construction and operating costs and yield a profit the studies said. Because of such favourable projections. Adam Srajn said c. Luloh & co., a Large japanese financial concern has already promised to put up one third the construction Cost. Las vegas officials have lobbied hard to convince Cah toronians of significant benefits. Most construction would occur in California generating 11,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in direct expenditures the line could take tourists to Disneyland and other California attractions. It could also be the foundation for a new mass transit system to help relieve clogged los Angeles area freeways. I m not inner sled in sending gamblers Tolas vegas said Richard Katz chairman of the California Assembly s transport Avion Commilles but i am inner sled in seeing whal is in in for  Ash by halt Fortl i vegas City manager Ami a by councilman amlo Adamson with a modal of tit proposed High aped rtt Troad to run Between Laa vegas and Southern  11,1986 the stars and stripes pegs 15