I think construction of almost any product is not so different than the flaws in the Big Dig.
My 1994 Mazda pickup had no added grease in the inside front wheel bearings from the factory. It was built along side Ford Rangers in the same factory and the two are nearly identical. It made it about 11,000 miles on the oily film that the bearings apparently shipped with, including a 3000 mile round trip to L.A. The outside bearings were fine and still full of clean new grease as opposed to the now blued and scored dry inside bearings. The local Mazda dealer refused to warrantee the parts or labor. They said I should have had the bearings repacked after 1 year instead of 18 months. The listed scheduled maintainence was simply due at 25,000 miles, no time frame. I had the replacement done at a private shop for far less money.
In the 70's and 80's, I worked as a self-employed small contractor doing mostly home construction. There was a terrific difference in the quality of construction from home to home. It's not a surprise that the roof blows off some homes in high winds while leaving those next door untouched. During storms, some people die in homes that are not fastened well. A public tunnel falling on a person is one thing; their own home another.
Most homes built before about 1975 have drywall that is full of asbestos and, worse yet, many heating ducts are filled with asbestos dust from original construction. Of course this may not be much worse than the asbestos dust on any street corner that has a stoplight that causes people to use their auto brakes. The brake lining was all full of asbestos in the near past.
Many building specs here have changed since the 80's. Now all new homes must have drain fields around the foundation to combat shifting subsoil due to moisture change besides the occasional dampness. I think they finally require a vapor barrier not only behind the wallboard but, now also, in the ceiling. There was a time when ceilings would fall down at the break of every spring thaw, caused by accumulated humidity that had reached the dew point and therefore condensed in insulation. That wouldn't have happened if windows hadn't suddenly been federally required to not leak so much air (taking humidity build-up with it). The federal requirement was the result of the first energy crisis. My customers were shocked that their new homes did this. The city Chief Building Inspector refused to change the ceiling spec but I was able to use a vapor barrier ceiling paint to save my own warrantee headache.