A while back, before we were quite so “tech savvy” (haha – NOT), we posted a little quip about the “deteriorating Gardiner Expressway” on our facebook page. Way back, a long, long time ago, during the dreaded schooling portion of my apprenticeship (dreaded because it’s like trying to subsist on welfare: damn near impossible) my old college prof told us of his involvement in the initial Gardiner Expressway build. At the time, he had recommended to the ‘powers that once were’ that only galvanized rebar be used in the construction of the roadway. Not only was this idea dismissed, but somehow his vehemency also got him fired from the project. Now I don’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of that transaction and what lead up to it, but what I do know (fact) is that galvanized rebar was NOT used in the Gardiner’s construction. Why, you ask? Simple. It’s expensive. Galvanized structural steel is of course important because it doesn’t rust easily. Extremely important in Canada, where we get loads of snow, and specifically in Ontario, where we tend to fight back against snow and ice with salt. Salt corrodes metal, especially if there isn’t a galvanized coating. Now experts are swearing up and down that the structural integrity of the Gardiner is perfectly safe, except for the giant falling chunks of concrete. I find myself driving under that thing regularly, and I do it with caution – you can literally see the massive cracks that are forming there. It’s so funny to me that we still choose to believe these experts when we can see with our own eyes there’s a problem brewing. I’m not casting stones at the drones – like I said, I drive under it all the time. But I do it with a bit of apprehension.
The reason I’m rehashing all this stuff about the Gardiner, the reason I raise it for a second time, is because of what’s going on with the Elliot Lake inquiry. The structural steel findings, I believe, are certainly worse, but potentially not entirely dissimilar to what will be found after someone is badly hurt by falling debris from the Expressway (best case scenario). The Elliot Lake mall collapse was horrifying. It put into question all structures, how we blindly trust they are well designed, engineered, built, and with the appropriate materials. After all, this isn’t something that most of us have a say in – we have to trust our experts, that they know what they’re doing, that they won’t cheap out to save a few bucks. In the case of the Elliot Lake mall, the reason the steel rusted to the point of ‘steel corrosion found in marine environments’ was due to a failed slab roof and waterproofing system. The inquiry has since exposed the designer, supplier and installer of the hollow core slabs (HCS roofing system) for intentionally not advising the owner of potential pre-known inadequacies with the build. Apparently the deficiencies with the roofing system rendered the waterproofing useless. The Forensic Engineering report (now published here) further states that “the fact the roof was allowed to leak for thirty two years is perplexing”. Yup. Seems every safety measure we have come to rely so heavily on in the construction industry failed in this case.
Thankfully, it’s likely that what happened at this mall is an anomaly. There is also far too much scrutiny on the Gardiner for something this drastic to occur, right? But it should at the very least be annoying to us Torontonians that extra maintenance and closures are necessary to ensure the whole thing doesn’t come crashing down. The fact is, we didn’t use the right material. The City cheaped out. Hey, we endure Canadian winters every year, and so does our steel.
Happy Spring everyone.
The reason I’m rehashing all this stuff about the Gardiner, the reason I raise it for a second time, is because of what’s going on with the Elliot Lake inquiry. The structural steel findings, I believe, are certainly worse, but potentially not entirely dissimilar to what will be found after someone is badly hurt by falling debris from the Expressway (best case scenario). The Elliot Lake mall collapse was horrifying. It put into question all structures, how we blindly trust they are well designed, engineered, built, and with the appropriate materials. After all, this isn’t something that most of us have a say in – we have to trust our experts, that they know what they’re doing, that they won’t cheap out to save a few bucks. In the case of the Elliot Lake mall, the reason the steel rusted to the point of ‘steel corrosion found in marine environments’ was due to a failed slab roof and waterproofing system. The inquiry has since exposed the designer, supplier and installer of the hollow core slabs (HCS roofing system) for intentionally not advising the owner of potential pre-known inadequacies with the build. Apparently the deficiencies with the roofing system rendered the waterproofing useless. The Forensic Engineering report (now published here) further states that “the fact the roof was allowed to leak for thirty two years is perplexing”. Yup. Seems every safety measure we have come to rely so heavily on in the construction industry failed in this case.
Thankfully, it’s likely that what happened at this mall is an anomaly. There is also far too much scrutiny on the Gardiner for something this drastic to occur, right? But it should at the very least be annoying to us Torontonians that extra maintenance and closures are necessary to ensure the whole thing doesn’t come crashing down. The fact is, we didn’t use the right material. The City cheaped out. Hey, we endure Canadian winters every year, and so does our steel.
Happy Spring everyone.