Of bolts and such...

From what we can tell, investigators seem to be honing on the bolts as the cause of concrete ceiling collapse last week.

Attorney General Reilly made a statement about how 3 of the bolts didn't even have glue on them. How could this happen? It's totally ridiculous that something like that could be missed, what were the installers thinking? Let's go home early and forget about the putting glue to hold up a 3 ton slab of suspended concrete?

Mitt Romney then said at press conference that some bolts could be pulled out almost 3/8ths of an inch, almost half an inch.

The bolt questions:

• Why did we choose this particular epoxy/bolt setup?
• Why did the installers fail to use epoxy and who were the installers?
• Why weren't thorough inspections ever done that could have caught the failed set of bolts?
• If inspections were done, why weren't the problems that were detected fixed?

It's been noted that the contractors don't really know how to use this bolt + epoxy system, with multiple failures nearly 6-10 years ago.

I think in the end, it wasn't bolt system that failed but the installers who failed to install it properly.

What next?

Romney also talked about 3 potential systems that would be used to reinforce/replace the current system of securing the panels.

• A new type of anchor bolt, rather than have a slim straight bolt, the end of the bolt would flare out when placed all the way in.
• A steel on steel connection, I assume a connection from the steel connecting rods holding the panel up to the steel rebar in the ceiling itself
• A cable system

With any of these systems, we absolutely need better inspections. From what we've seen, the Big Dig isn't simply a "build-it and forget-it" type of project, there's simply a lot more maintenance required.