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Casino garage walls being put back in line
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Crews are working to straighten out parts of the massive parking garage being built behind the Rivers Casino on the North Shore after some columns were found to be almost a foot out of alignment, prompting intervention by the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
OSHA became involved in February after receiving an anonymous tip that floors seven through nine of the garage were leaning, or out of plumb. Its investigation found that about 80 columns along column lines A through E on the three floors were affected. Seven columns were as much as eight to 11 1/16 inches out of plumb, OSHA Acting Area Director Frank Librich said.
Despite initial concerns about the state of the garage, engineers determined that it was "safe and structurally sound," Mr. Librich said.
By the time OSHA arrived, contractors already had developed a remediation plan to straighten out the columns using wire rope cables and tensioning devices. Since then all but column line E have been brought back to plumb "in accordance with design specifications," Mr. Librich said. Work should be done in about two weeks.
In a statement, casino spokesman Dan Fee said the garage "is structurally sound and remains safe."
"During the construction of all multi-level structures it is not uncommon to make adjustments to bring all floors into alignment and final position. This is what is occurring now," he said.
More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
First Published April 2, 2009 5:13 pm
