Cracks Form In New Stadium

Concrete pedestrian ramps around the new Yankee Stadium have already started to crack. (image) And apparently the company the Yankees used for the concrete has ties with the mob. Here's more from William K. Rashbaum and Ken Belson:

the team is seeking to determine whether the problems were caused by the installation, the design, the concrete or other factors, according to several people briefed on the problems.

The ramps were built by a company accused of having links to the mob, and the concrete mix was designed and tested by a company under indictment on charges that it failed to perform some tests and falsified the results of others. But it is unclear whether work performed by either firm contributed to the deteriorating conditions of the ramps

....

A spokeswoman for the team, Alice McGillion, called the cracks “cosmetic,” saying that they posed no safety issues because they did not affect the structural integrity of the ramps. She characterized the work to repair the problems as “routine remediation,” which she said was “usual in this kind of building or in any other building.”

“There is no evidence that there is any issue or problem with concrete or any material in the building,” she said.

According to the aritcle, the Yanks hired an engineering company "to determine the cause and extent" of the damage. It's estimated that fixing the cracks will cost several million bucks.

As for the company with alleged mob ties, those honors don't only go to Interstate Industrial Corporation, the company that built the ramps, but also Testwell Laboratories which is the company that evaluated the strength of the concrete.

Last year, Testwell's owners and a number of officers were indicted on state racketeering charges, though all have denied the accusations.

The case stems from a sweeping 18-month investigation of the concrete-testing industry that also led to charges against a second company. The investigation also forced the city to order the retesting of the concrete in 80 structures in four boroughs, including the stadium. More than half a dozen other companies remain under scrutiny in the case.

In 2004, Interstate Industrial was banned from working within the city because it was concluded that the company "had ties to organized crime. Once again, the company denies the allegations.

I don't know much about building, but I would assume cracks shouldn't be forming in a building that isn't even a year old yet.