Posted on 07/24/2006 5:20:32 AM PDT by grundle
BOSTON - Only 4 percent of Massachusetts adults would feel "very" safe driving through the tunnels of the Big Dig, according to a poll taken in the aftermath of a collapse that killed a motorist.
The poll, published in The Boston Sunday Globe, found that 68 percent would feel "not very" or "not at all" safe driving through the tunnels.
A combined 69 percent of the 544 randomly selected respondents surveyed in the telephone poll conducted from July 14 to July 19 by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center said they would either "definitely" or "try to" change their driving patterns to avoid Big Dig tunnels.
The poll had a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
Milena Del Valle, 39, was crushed to death July 10 by falling ceiling panels while driving with her husband to Logan Airport. The investigation into the collapse has focused on the bolt and epoxy fastening system used to secure the concrete ceiling panels.
The portion of the Interstate 90 connector tunnel that collapsed was initially supposed to have a much lighter ceiling, according to the Globe.
Big Dig overseers, however, went with a design that used a heavier concrete ceiling that was less expensive and easier to install, Alexander Bardow, state director of bridges and structures, told the newspaper.
The ceiling was 2 1/2 times heavier per square foot than in another major tunnel, yet was held up by bolts that were not as thick, Bardow said. The ceiling still met safety standards.
The $14.6 billion Big Dig buried the old elevated Central Artery under Boston. Although it's been considered an engineering marvel, the most expensive highway project in U.S. history also has also been plagued by leaks, falling debris, cost overruns, delays and problems linked to faulty construction.
Of course the margin of error is bigger than that!
I note that the number of people who say they would feel safe is smaller than the poll's margin of error.
You beat me by 18 seconds.
Or, I could say I'm a conservative and felt threatened. Or a male, and felt "sought after." Or I had money, and felt pursued by tax collectors...but really, it's just a great big straightaway that seems to invite driving fast on a Sunday morning when there's only two other cars around (one being the parked trooper's).
Well, it's not anymore, actually...
Would they feel safer if John Kerry were there to protect them? (By the way, Kerry was in Vietnam, dontcha know?)
Are tunnels rare in that region of the country?
Barney Frank would feel safe in it - as long as he entered from the rear.
Or is it because of bad construction?
Or is it because of bad construction?
How long can Fat Matt hang on?
How long can Fat Matt hang on?
Hezballah in Lebanon constructed better tunnels while doing it in secret, and they didnt dig up half the city.
Which begs this picture to be posted also
The article says the bolts failed due to a design change. No matter how you try to keep 12 tons of concrete in the air, if you use glue it's probably not going to work well.
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This is probably the biggest rip-off in American history. Enron stockholders had a choice, the taxpayer doesn't. |
Now entering the Damocles Tunnel, don't look up!
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