According to Walker’s report, the 50 by 150 feet chunk fell onto the garage’s ground floor area where refueling and cleaning of returned rental cars takes place. The concrete slab collapsed because rods and bolts linking one girder to a column could not endure the garage column’s small movements that were initiated by temperature variations. Parking garages contract in cold and swell in heat similar to other concrete structures.
The report stated that the garage columns linked to either end of the girders could have shifted in opposite directions by almost three-eights of an inch a week prior to the collapse because of Tampa’s cold weather. This in-turn weakened the bolts and rods linking the girders and columns.
Walker Restoration estimated the total cost of replacement of collapsed canopy and repair of columns’ remaining connections at $300,000. However, the breakdown did not impact the long-term garage’s structural integrity. The garage was constructed in two halves with a hole in the middle open to the sky.
Creative accepted complete responsibility for the collapse and consented to make all repairs free of cost. It will repay the airport for its expenditure, including $110,000 expenses to clean up the remains.
Senior director of planning and development, Louis Russo, stated that the airport should grant permission to Creative to commence repair work soon. He added that repair work could take nearly two-and-a-half months to complete.
The canopy was designed and constructed by Creative Contractors of Clearwater in 2002. It was built to protect ground floor rental car workers from the rainfall, which required development of the structure over an expansion joint in the garage floor.
Established in 2006 by parent company Walker Parking Consultants, Walker Restoration Consultants offers engineering and consulting services that helps owners increase their built assets’ life.
