LBANY – The State Inspector General’s Office has investigated broken bolts on the Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge at Tappan Zee and efforts to conceal replacement of those faulty ones.
The state agency issued a statement on Tuesday saying, “As soon as the allegation of potentially faulty bolts was brought to the Inspector General’s attention, investigative staff responded immediately, reviewing thousands of documents, collecting evidence and conducting interviews with specific individuals.”
The IG’s office said it “reviewed audio of conversations between individuals who were involved in trying to conceal the replacement of bolts. Additionally, the Inspector General sought and obtained sworn testimony from engineers who admitted to covertly replacing broken bolts.”
In March 2017, the Thruway Authority hired an independent testing laboratory to evaluate broken bolts on the bridge and found the bolts did not compromise the safety of the bridge.
The Thruway Authority also told the IG it was undertaking additional inspections and testing of the bolts as warranted.
The Inspector General’s Office said it is currently legally prohibited from disclosing specific findings of its investigation.
