Newsday du lieu suivant : New York, New York • 16

STYH.DSTT FTTHIs AV: HADDCmnr BOBUS 16, PEBE1 JUST 20 MOBG Start with a terrific new haircut, then add a little or sortie wild waves. Our Stylist of the Day will design a terrific new look that's just right for you. And, you'll get a personalized haircare bonus, tool Photo by Chris Otertlch Beams near the promenade walkway on the Williamsburg Bridge are rusted. reg.S36SI6 Haircutconditionstylinqhair care bonus An Abridged Check Of the Williamsburg BRIDGE from Page 3 Call to make your appointment with our Stylist of the Day (718)392-3322 (516)869-8570 Brooklyn (7181 802-7440 Queens Huntington (516) 427-1599 AAanhasset (dept. 733) Sale ft qiaciak and July 2.

George Zandalasini, took a dimmer viow I think Ammann Whitney has done some fine design work for us, but I dont think their inspection work was either thorough or meticulous, Zandalasini said Friday. I had complained of this for some time, but nobody placed a lot of wmphmna on bridges until Ross Randlm- came on board. Sandler became city transportation commissioner in March, 1986. Unlike Ammann Whitney, Stein-man Boyntons inspection this year included opening the bridges cables to their core, covering its deck with million-pound subway trains, performing aeiwmie measurements of its columns, and physically testing all the bridges elements. However, the state paid Steinman Boynton nearly $4.8 million Ammann Whitney received less than $4.4 milium for both of its inspections.

You get what you pay fin, Stahl said. We are in business to make money, not to support the state. We cant do more than our assignment, and we cant do more than we are given money for. Hirschberg said the state had given Steinman Boynton a more lucrative and broader contract, because we have been gradually increasing the depth of our inspections over the years. Documents obtained by New York Nowaday under the Freedom of Information Act slum that Zandalasini, who joined the city DOT in 1983, began com- plaining officially about Ammann Whitneys performance on Jan.

9, 1985. ZanHalaaini wrote the firm to complain that the consultant never even visually inspected the inside of the bridges tower legs as required, and demanded to know if any other bridge elements had been omitted from the 1984 inspection. Since we did not hear from you as to any other items, it was assumed there were none! Zandalasini wrote in a second letter to the firm on April 29, 1985. Now it has been discovered that the main expansion bearings were not inspected as part of the in-depth inspection of the Williamsburg Bridge. That letter, to consulting engineer Stuart Sokoloff concludes with a Becond request for a list of all uninspected bridge elements.

Sokoloff has lot Ammann Whitney and could not be reached fin: of correspondence followed in whichSo-koloff claimed the tower legs were inaccessible Zandalaaini says they have an open door and that the condition of the expansion bearings would not be detectable by visual inspection. Ammann WhitneyB final report on the inspection, dated October, 1985, warns of progressive corrosion problems throujduiut the bridge, and recommends vigorous monitoring and mainte-nance. But while it offered typical examples of the problems, it did not pinpoint specific locations. This became the subject of a second angry exchange of letters in July, 1986, when a contractor working on the bridges Manhattan approach found corrosion that had not been mentioned in the lg85 report. Zandalasini accused Ammann Whitney of unprofessionalism.

In a reply letter that accused the city of repeatedly ignoring warnings about severe corrosion on the bridge, Stahl replied that the problem had been targeted in the firms 1979 report for eventual replacement when the bridge underwent complete rehabilitation. The dispute highlights the problems faced by governments and engineers in a world of rapidly evolving technology and rapidly deteriorating infrastructure. Since Mayor Edward Koch took office in 1978, the number' of bridge workers on the New York City payroll has shrunk from 121 to 98, according to department of personnel records. These employees, along with three city bridge inspectors, were responsible for more than 2,000 bridges. Sandler has launched a mqjor initiative, with Koch's support, to improve this.

Last year, the mayor granted his request to hire 30 more bridge inspectors. And in the new city budget, which takes effect July 1, the mayor also has approved Sandlers request to create 300 new bridge worker positions. Leonard Puglia, president of the New York Council of Consulting Engineers, cautioned against pinning the Man for the 85-year-old Williamsburg Bridges problems on either the consultant or the government. In times like this, it is fhinnnhly to look for a scapegoat, Puglia said. But the fact of the matter is that politicians serve the public.

And until recently, there has been little or no public support for paying for bridge maintenance, not just in New York, but na- i- J- Mk JiSJ rf uj 3 i i 0.