Inside XKT Engineering on Mare Island in Vallejo, the facility is making the steel saddle components that will compensate for bolts that cracked during tightening.
The saddles will sit just underneath the deck of the Bay Bridge and above the broken bolts. The saddles are made from three layers of steel plates that arrived at XKT flat. They were then rolled, molded, and cooked at 1,200 degrees for 30 hours and cooled. Then grooves were cut into them and the bad bolts will be encased in those grooves.
There are 12 saddles that have to be fabricated. The permanent fix is expected to be finished in December.
Caltrans is also preparing a temporary fix that may allow the new span to open earlier.
