Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-02-06
BARELAS BRIDGE repair delay
is DUE TO THE STATE HIGHWAY
ENGINEER, CONTRACTOR CLAIMS
Exon Declares Highway Department is Try
ing to Use His Equipment to Conduct An
Experiment Station; Alleges That Depart
ment Has Placed Obstacles in Way of Work

foot spans had washed some years
ago, and our soundings also
showed that the solid strata was
/ thirty-four feet under water. But
in spite OF all this Mr.. McCloskey
insisted that fifty foot concrete
pile be driven. His orders were
followed, but this pile brought up
at seventeen feet below the sur
face, which would be reasonable to
expect as it was erected directly
over the old pier. We were then
ordered to move our outfit 90
feet east and put in fifty-foot
pile where no tests had ever been
made, thus abandoning whatever
data had been secured from driv-
ing the six fifty-foot test piles.
This pile at its new location
brought up at twenty-four feeI
below water and could not be
driven further without destroying
the pile and it was thereupon or
dered pulled by the state highway
engineer, and several other writ
ten orders issued, every one of
which to date has been complied
with by the contractors and all
equipment required by the speci-
fications is in good working order
and in place on the job and is still
SO located.
"By this time 1t was matter
of common knowledge to every
person interested and observing
the progress of the work on this
project that the state highway en-
gineer was using our rig and equip
ment as an experimental station
at our expense and was endeavor-
ing to demonstrate the fact that
a fifty-foot concrete pile could be
driven down where it was impossi-
BILE to drive a 14-inch steel I-beam
further than thirty to forty feet,
said I-beam being driven with
modern equipment in the previous
construction work done on those
piers.
Notice Given.
':When the unnecessary and I'M
called for delay in the compile
ton of this bridge became acute
and the taxpayers and others who |
used the bridge became impatient |
and demanded to know the reason
for these said delays, the Journal |
made an investigation and printed |
a statement relative to the same |
At that time we furnished the |
journal what information we had |
in reference to the matter because |
we felt that the people were enti- |
tied to know and for the further 7
reason that the state highway en-
Gineer was endeaVoring to side /
step the responsibility for the de- |
lays. When the facts in the case !
came out in the press the state |
highway engineer was enraged TO |
such an extent that he called the /
contractors abusive names. entire
~ however, through third parties. /
from his inner office.
and we now come to his final 4
orders issued under date of jan (
uary 81, 1922, which we hope
will be the last blunder to be I
made by this official before the
completion of this bridge. In
this said order of January 27th. |
he informs us that at the end {
of ten days. 1t is the purpose of
the state highway engineer atI
the expiration of that time to
take the work of this bridge out
of your hands He then goes on
to say that this is in accordance
with Section Sc of Pamphlet No.
4, general specifications. The
section and pamphlet referred to
provide in effect: That if the con-
tractor shall become insolvent or
shall be prosecuting the work
with an insufficient force of
Workmen, etc, the engineer shall
give notice of such delay. etc.
specifying the same, and if the
contractor, within a period Of ten
days after such notice, shall not
proceed satisfactorily in accord
ance Herewith, then the en-
gineer shall have full power and
without violating this
contract to take the work out of
the hands of the contractor
ut would appear from tho
above that if he proposes offar
ten days to take this work oi,t
or the contractors hands, then he
mas already violated his contract
ana IS not proceeding under the
provisions of the section referred
10; or at least it would appear
builder. 'Ns0
ms is the true story to date
or the Barelas bridge contract.
am making this statement entire
~ on my own responsibility for
the information of the general
public who are Interested in tbe
completion of the bridge. And
there are hundreds Of disinter-
ested persons who have kent
track of the progress or rather
the lack of progress on This
bridge and are able to verify
the same. 0+1lS
(Signed) Guy s ryONn