In November, 1996, the company, as Rust PPK, was employed as consultants undertaking the development of a draft Environmental Impact Statement on a second airport for Sydney. In a publication titled ‘Sydney’s second airport proposal’, which was in relation to options which were to be looked at in the Environmental Impact Statement and was circulated to the southern Sydney community and other groups, ‘Rust’ put at least three Sydney suburbs in the wrong location. Numerous complaints were made by the public regarding Rust PPK’s performance. These included protests that there was insufficient community consultation by ‘Rust’ and that the company failed to provide the community with enough early information. (Ref.: http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/commttee/s7186224.pdf – accessed 30th June, 2008.)
And, as Parsons Brinkerhoff (PB), the same company was the firm engaged to design the *Lane Cove Tunnel project. (Ref.: page 7 of the WorkCover Report:
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/C9E17E73-6847-469B-BC10-A4024ED9EFE2/0/lane_cove_tunnel_construction_site_investigation_report_4821.pdf)
From the Bulahdelah Upgrading the Pacific Highway Environmental Impact Statement Volume 6 Technical Paper 11: 4.6 Embankments
'4.6.1 Settlement Assessment in Fills
Settlement along the fills can be critical where embankments are constructed on soft compressible soils and there is a risk that primary consolidation settlement would continue beyond the construction period. Combined with secondary (creep) consolidation of the soft soils and internal creep of the fill material itself, settlement has the potential to exceed design criteria, particularly between structures and adjoining embankments.
Critical settlement locations were identified at structures, at maximum fill embankment height and/or at soft soil foundations. In all locations except at the northern interchange, the maximum fill height and critical foundation soils occurred at a structure.
At the northern interchange the maximum approach embankment heights are not located at the overpass bridges.
Settlement is expected to be most critical at the Myall River Bridge where embankments are high and soft soil was encountered to depths of 4.7 metres at borehole locations.
The adopted performance criteria for evaluating settlements have been based on that [sic] adopted for recent Pacific Highway Upgrade Projects such as Yelgun to Chinderah, and [bold, red typeface added for emphasis] *Lane Cove Tunnel.'
- Honolulu, 28th November, 2005: [PDF] “… a dark cloud concerning inappropriate behaviour and possible corrupt conduct hangs over the treatment of subcontractors by Parsons Brinkerhoff, the company that won this mass transit contract.” Statement by: Charles K. Djour, Councilmember CITY COUNCIL CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Trinidad & Tobago, 3rd September, 2007: “This country spent $15.5 million for Parsons Brinkerhoff to work here for three years. This country deserves to see the report from Parsons Brinkerhoff that the government has scrapped. We need to see what it is that Parsons Brinkerhoff recommended that was so unworkable.
Because PB has been performing transportation studies in Trinidad and Tobago since the 1960’s. This firm is world renown. Government had the confidence to give them a fresh contract for $37 million in May 2006. Parsons cannot be that incompetent and still be in business! Just last month, PB was awarded a contract to design a 6-mile-long bus rapid transit corridor in Springfield, Oregon.
We need to see whether Parsons was in favour of this rapid rail system and whether it had proposed cheaper alternatives.” Statement by: Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Deputy Political Leader and Leader of the Opposition.
Panama
, October 8 – 21, 2006: “Parsons Brinckerhoff, in a consortium with Bechtel, was hired by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to manage the Big Dig project. And yes, now that the cost has gone up from its original estimate of $2.6 billion to $14.6 billion and still rising, and now that Parsons Brinckerhoff is feeling the heat of bad publicity, civil lawsuits and criminal investigations for cost-cutting on safety that caused the collapse of a huge concrete ceiling panel onto the car of a couple driving through one of the Big Dig tunnels, Parsons Brinckerhoff is pointing fingers in other directions and there are plenty of fools out there who will take anything a big corporation says at face value.” Statement by: The Editor - The Panama News Panama’s English-language Online Newspaper – Volume 12, Number 19.
This post initially published: 23rd July, 2008.
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