The price tag for all that (and, yes, a functional bridge): $6.5 billion and counting (the San Francisco Chronicle's Phil Matier and Andrew Ross report today on the mounting bill for testing the steel rods and bolts).

In Piller's weekend story for the Bee, DeSaulnier said he wants independent authorities — experts who haven't been affiliated with the span's construction — to conduct a "comprehensive review" of the structure's defects. He also said he'd like the Federal Highway Administration to review Caltrans' handling of the project.

Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty told Piller he'd welcome further oversight, adding that he looks forward to next week's Senate hearing “as an opportunity to talk about why our confidence is so high” in the safety of the bridge.

Piller's story continues:

Steve Heminger, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and chairman of the oversight committee for Bay Bridge construction, recently said that some independent experts have “let perfect be the enemy of the good.” He and Caltrans say that the bridge is solid and will last 150 years. He declined to be interviewed for this story.

After years of delays and $5 billion in costs beyond the initial estimate, DeSaulnier said, neither he nor the public can passively accept such reassurances.

“We don’t know what we got for that – how much it will cost to maintain the bridge and what will happen when there’s another (major earthquake),” he said. “That’s three strikes to me. It’s a long way from perfection.”

DeSaulnier said officials have shown “indifference at the best, and at the worst, disdain, for the people who pay for the bridge” via taxes, and tolls that have risen sixfold since 1997.

Charles PillerCharles Piller

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