Officials hoped a recent repair project would prevent the Millennium Tower from submerging further into the San Francisco ground. Instead, the dip has only worsened.
Construction on the tallest residential building in the city has been halted after the building sunk another inch, just weeks after a $100 million project to fix the issue began, according to a report from KNTV.
Residents were first notified that the 58-story tower at 301 Mission St. was sinking in May, 2016.
Following years of discussion and lawsuits, the city broke ground on the "perimeter pile upgrade" project last May to address the potentially catastrophic situation. It had sunk and tilted a total of 18 inches when construction began.
The plan aimed to install 52 two-foot concrete piles on the north and west sides of the tower which would stabilize the foundation, likened to putting a bumper jack next to a flat tire.
However, NBC reported that only 39 piles were put in before construction paused in recent weeks. Data revealed that since the foundation fix began, the sky scraper had dropped another inch on the Fremont St. side, which amounts to five inches of lean on the top floor and a total of 22 inches toward Fremont St. and Mission St.
In a letter sent to residents on Monday, the Millennium Tower Association said further pile installation was stopped out of an "abundance of caution" after "an increased rate of settlement," the station reported. The association said they are "working to understand the problem" and also reassured residents that the structure "remains fully safe" as there has been no "material harm to the building."
David Williams, an Oakland-based structural engineering expert, told the station that the situation is "very disturbing" and called the pause a "no-brainer." He said if construction continued, the building could have suffered "excessive damage."
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