Storm Reveals New Bay Bridge Is Leaky

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- While the weekend rain was a welcome sight in Northern California, California transportation officials were disturbed to see water somewhere it shouldn't have been -- inside a new, $6.4 billion section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday that part of the steel structure that is supposed to be watertight is leaking.

Caltrans told the newspaper that rainwater was found beneath the road deck on the marquee stretch of the new eastern span that opened last year, which features a sailboat-shaped tower with a pair of suspension cables.

Independent engineers say the leaks could cause the bridge to corrode and significantly shorten its life span.

Bridge spokesman Andrew Gordon says inspectors are trying to pinpoint how the water is getting in but that the problem so far looks manageable.

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