Posted on 07/14/2006 9:24:36 AM PDT by edzo4
Concrete panels fell in Fall River tunnel in '99 Monday's Big Dig tunnel tragedy in Boston bears several similarities to falling concrete in a highway tunnel in Fall River.
July 12, 2006 PAUL EDWARD PARKER
Monday's Big Dig tunnel tragedy in Boston bears several similarities to a tunnel collapse in Fall River in 1999.
On March 3 that year, several two-ton ceiling tiles fell from the roof of the tunnel that carries Route 195 under Fall River's city hall. Yesterday's collapse involved concrete ceiling tiles weighing three tons each.
In both tunnels, the tiles were bolted to the structures above them.
In Fall River, decades of neglect and lack of inspection allowed corrosion to weaken the metal holding up the giant tiles. In the aftermath, state officials said they had not inspected the tunnel ceiling under city hall because they thought the city was supposed to. City officials said they thought it was a state responsibility.
In Boston, preliminary investigations have also blamed the metal supports for allowing the tiles to fall, though the specific cause has not been identified. Decades of neglect can be ruled out, though, because the ceiling was installed in 1999.
Both collapses caused the closing of the interstate highways running through them and resulting traffic headaches.
Although the two tunnels are under the control of two separate state agencies, the same man was at the head of each at the time of the tunnel collapses. Matthew J. Amorello was state highway commissioner when the Fall River tunnel failed. Today, he is chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which has managed construction of the Big Dig highway project that includes several tunnels and a signature cable-stayed bridge across the Charles River.
A major difference in the two disasters is that Fall River's was not fatal.
(Excerpt) Read more at projo.com ...
Before I read this, I wonder if it mentions he is an evil Republican.
He's perfectly qualified to be Al Gore's successor as "aviation security czar".
unless you live in MA, you have no idea what you are talking about, this guy has been a boob from day one, he has no engineering background he is unqualified and over his head
plus how can he work for the state and not answer to the govenor?
becuase this is massachussets and the hacks have imbeddedd themselves like ticks
he is not concerned about what is best for the state as a true 'public servant' would he is concerned about saving his own fat ass and keeping his $200k plus salary and a big fat pension.
To prevent duplication, please do not alter the heading. Thanks.
unless you live in MA, you have no idea what you are talking about, this guy has been a boob from day one, he has no engineering background he is unqualified and over his head
plus how can he work for the state and not answer to the govenor?
becuase this is massachussets and the hacks have imbeddedd themselves like ticks
he is not concerned about what is best for the state as a true 'public servant' would he is concerned about saving his own fat ass and keeping his $200k plus salary and a big fat pension.
All the Massachusetts pols are running for cover, frantically playing Cover Your A$$ and scapegoating as fast as they can. For the boondoggle known as "The Big Dig" there's more than enough blame to go around the state three times and then some.
You are quite right. Massachusetts serves as the Triple-A league for the Congress.
A pal of mine was the inspector general of the Central
Artery Project. He began the job in the year 2000. Upon his arrival on the job, he discovered thousands of documents were missing. Mention that in Massachusetts and no one is surprised.
This project has smelled worse than a week-old cod out of the water since it began.
the stae house and turnpike authority make the New Orleans levee board look legit
if It is an administrative post
then how come he doesn't answer to the governor?
and the same thing happened in 1999
and last year.
and to say everyone did it for the last 50 years is BS how many other boston tunnels collapsed during those 50 years beside the three times it ahs happened now under amorello, plus he is not the only one that needs to go he is merely the FIRST that needs to go
no I blame clinton
How many planes flew into buildings during the last 50 years???
how many of them left from logan airport?
Why not blame the crazed lunitics who committed the deed and the scum who funded them?
lets not forget the addicts that worked on the big dig...
Southie rep wants methadone replaced by new treatment
By Dave Wedge
The Boston Herald
September 8, 2005 Thursday
A South Boston state representative fighting for better treatment for heroin and OxyContin addicts wants methadone phased out in favor
of the recently approved treatment drug Suboxone.
``Methadone scares the hell out of me,'' said Rep. Brian Wallace (D-South Boston), who sits on the Legislature's Committee on
Substance Abuse and Mental Health. ``They think it's going to help them get better and it doesn't. They become methadone junkies.''
Wallace said Suboxone, which can be prescribed by qualified doctors, is a ``cleaner,'' non-addictive drug with less potential for abuse.
The debate over methadone and Suboxone will be among the issues discussed next week when a congressional committee holds hearings
in Boston into the Bay State's OxyContin and heroin epidemic.
The Herald reported yesterday that many recovering addicts working on the Big Dig get methadone before work, including some who
drive trucks. While some studies question the drug's safety and effectiveness, methadone advocates claim it is not dangerous and is the
best treatment option.
``It's the gold standard,'' said Joycelyn Woods, president of the New York-based National Alliance of Methadone Advocates. ``It's the
only treatment for opiate addiction that really works.''
Woods said her group includes patients who work as window washers for the Empire State Building, as well as speedboat racers,
firefighters and doctors.
Kevin O'Donnell, president of Big Dig contractor M.L. McDonald, said he has had just two of 400 employees enter methadone
treatment, but neither has worked on the $14.6 billion project. None of his employees has failed Big Dig drug tests, he said.
Recovering addict and Teamster Devin Curry, who worked on the Big Dig, praised methadone for helping him get clean.
``I think it's a lot better these gentlemen are trying, every day, doing the right thing, rather than shooting dope like they were,'' Curry
said. ``All it does is stops the cravings and it helps them stay normal.''
lets not forget about the crooks that worked on the big dig
Arrests For Big Dig Concrete Fraud
FBI Says Company Sold Substandard Material For Boston Tunnel Project
BOSTON, May 4, 2006
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