I was reading an article in the 12-7-09 issue of ENR about the Hoover Dam Bridge. The project was plagued by many problems; from funding to unlicensed concrete supplier. The one thing that really bothered me was the fact that wind caused lines to collapse and the Nevada towers fell. This incident caused a two year construction delay and was not ruled a force majeure. Force majeure is an “act of god: a natural and unavoidable catastrophe that interrupts the expected course of events.” Now I do not claim to know all the events that happened and all of the circumstances of the event, but if wind caused the collapse and the collapse caused the delay; then it would be reasonable to say that the delay is force majeure!
Mike Rowe
