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The decades-long quest to extend Hazard Center Drive under State Route 163 to serve as a connection to and from Fashion Valley Mall is now a reality and the subject of a new lawsuit from the city of San Diego.
The city is suing AECOM, a global infrastructure engineering firm, for negligence and misrepresentation in its design of a concrete channel underneath the Hazard Center Drive connection.
In a non-conformed copy of the lawsuit, obtained by Times of San Diego, attorneys for the city say AECOM errantly designed the Hazard Center Drive Westerly Extension and then allegedly tried to downplay it to city engineers. The faulty design and failure to properly address groundwater intrusion and other issues have resulted in early cracking and groundwater seepage in the concrete slabs and walls.
“After construction was complete, cracking began to appear within the reinforced concrete channel slabs and related structural elements,” reads a portion of the city’s lawsuit.
While the city says the design was faulty, attorneys say it was AECOM’s subsequent haphazard investigation that added to what could be more severe repercussions.
In the complaint, attorneys say in response to the cracks, AECOM agreed to investigate the design and the construction.
After two years’ worth of investigation, the complaint alleges AECOM sought to convince the city that the cracking was expected.
“It is in the very nature of concrete that it cracks,” reads an excerpt from AECOM’s investigation cited in the lawsuit. “The shrinkage cracks that the channel has experienced will have no effect on its current or future integrity. Groundwater seepage through the walls and floors will not compromise the structures, affect the function of the structures, cause premature degradation of the reinforcing steel, or shorten the expected life span of these structures.”
The city claims AECOM agreed to keep monitoring the cracking. In 2022, the company updated the city on what was said to be extensive cracking. At no time, according to the complaint, did AECOM inform the city that the cracking was not expected and was possibly due to faulty design and resulted in a shortened life span than was agreed on.
In 2023, the city commissioned an outside firm to conduct another study of the roadway. That study determined the cracking was due to possible “engineering concerns” that extended beyond routine maintenance.
In its lawsuit, the city now seeks to hold AECOM responsible for the project, any future maintenance and operational costs, as well as other damages.
AECOM did not respond to Times of San Diego’s request for comment in time for publication. This article will be updated with the company’s response.
