SAN FRANCISCO—A construction job to prevent a 58-story millennium building in San Francisco from sinking failed and caused the building to sink further as first reported on October 8.
Robert Pike, who is a geotechnical engineer, told KPIX news that the mistake could have been prevented had the team stopped working sooner. The job was initially supposed to cease in August. According to evidence obtained by NBC Bay Area, holes were drilled bigger than planned which contributed to the acceleration recently.
Engineer logs and other documents revealed that the sinking began to accelerate back in May 2021. The $100 million project was supposed to have 52 concert piles lain into the bedrock to reinforce the building.
It was determined that the luxury condo skyscraper sunk 17 inches by 2009. As of Thursday, October 7, the building sunk to 22 inches.
Residents sued the building designers and developers back in 2016 and a settlement and payout was reached in 2020. According to reports, residents were concerned about potential damage an earthquake could have on the tower.
The tower has been referred to by many, including realtors, as the City’s Leaning Tower of Pisa due to its history of foundational issues.
