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How 'Microcracks' Undermined San Francisco's New Bus Terminal

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Geekz Snow
How 'Microcracks' Undermined San Francisco's New Bus Terminal

Running a foot and a half through a girder holding up the building’s roof, the crack could have led to catastrophe.

This weekend, buses and passengers will finally roll into the Transbay Terminal again.

Inspections found more cracks; figuring out what caused them would require forensics at scales ranging from the diameter of atoms to the width of city streets.

The investigation involved physics, metallurgy, and the crystalline strength of steel at work.

In the end, it would take less than 11 months for a team of science detectives to return one of San Francisco’s most important pieces of infrastructure to service.

Enrobed in an undulating white metal mesh, the building cuts east-west like a cyborg kaiju eel swimming among downtown skyscrapers, bridging two busy boulevards—First Street and Fremont Street.

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Geekz Snow
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