This article is reproduced here for historical and educational purposes. No one seems too sure, but the federal government has suspicions. The ban, which applies to welding on main support beams, pertains to any highway administration project anywhere. Subsequently, the crack had to be repaired, all other electro-slag welds on the bridge were reinspected, and nine were reinforced. The process is relatively new to bridge building.
Proponents say it is more economical and faster than traditional methods.
Oversimplified, electro-slag welding involves joining heavy pieces of steel with a single pass of welding equipment. Conventional methods use multiple passes. The directive is written in typical, confusing jargon, but what it means, basically, is that electro-slag welding is out in most situations until the feds decide it is a reliable process. Romberger thinks the highway administration notice was a result of the I-79 crack. The back channel portion of the bridge was closed immediately to all traffic.