Free Republic

Howie found a clip of Kerry saying "This tunnel will be a bargain--costs are infinitesimal". Comes back to haunt him!

Traffic was disrupted once again in a key Big Dig tunnel after inspectors found loose bolts in a ceiling panel the same sort of problem that is believed to have killed a motorist earlier this month. The $14.6 billion Big Dig project, the most expensive in U.S. history, buried much of the city's highway network in tunnels. It took over a decade to complete and has since been plagued by leaks, falling debris, cost overruns, delays and problems linked to faulty construction.

AG: 3 ceiling bolts had no epoxy By Jessica Fargen Sunday, July 16, 2006 - Updated: 12:42 AM EST Attorney General Tom Reilly dropped a bombshell yesterday, revealing that several of the crucial bolts holding up a 3-ton piece of concrete that crashed down on a woman on her way to Logan Airport had no epoxy on them. A Reilly spokeswoman said investigators have recovered 19 of the 20 bolts from the collapsed ceiling area, which turned into a crime scene after Monday’s fatal Big Dig tunnel tragedy. Three bolts appear to have had no epoxy applied, she said. “These...

Problems ignored in rush to wrap it up: Defects noted in ‘01 Big Dig officials discovered defects in a crucial metal support as they were pushing to wrap up construction of I-90 tunnel ceilings in 2001, but did not make substantial design changes amid a growing concern about the project’s escalating costs, secret documents obtained by the Herald reveal. The supports used for the concrete ceiling panels that collapsed this week and killed 38-year-old Milena Del Valle were not fully weather-protected or fabricated to contract standards - a deficiency reported to the lead contractor, project manager Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff and the...