Big Dig Tunnel Thrill Ride

[Ron61]

Gee, Warren, would you really want to pollute the ground that much.

Ron

[wtm442]

Absopositivolutly

Bury 'em deep where its hot!

[Ron61]

Why bother with burying them. Just make them all go stand in one of the tunnels until it collapses on them.

Ron

[wtm442]

cuz if you do not bury them, they might escape!

[Don]

Workers doubted ceiling method
Firm prevailed on fasteners despite tests

By Sean P. Murphy and Raja Mishra, Globe Staff | July 18, 2006

Field tests by construction workers indicated that bolt-and-epoxy fasteners might not support the multi-ton ceiling panels in the Interstate 90 connector tunnel, but the firm that designed the tunnel persuaded Big Dig officials to use the system anyway, law enforcement officials said yesterday.

At the same time, Big Dig officials became so confident in the epoxy used to secure the bolt fixtures that they canceled laboratory tests to regularly check if the high-strength glue was working properly, according to documents obtained by the Globe yesterday.

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and lead management contractor Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff approved both decisions as the tunnel ceiling was built in 1999.

The massive investigation into last week's death of Milena Del Valle -- killed when concrete ceiling panels fell on her car -- has focused on the failure of the bolt-and-epoxy ceiling fixtures. Governor Mitt Romney said yesterday that tests completed over the weekend found that nearly all 1,150 bolt-and-epoxy ceiling fixtures in the I-90 connector tunnel were unreliable.

As the connector tunnel ceiling was under construction, Modern Continental Corp. workers expressed concerns after field tests indicated the bolt fixtures were unsound, law enforcement officials said.

The workers' concerns were sent to Modern Continental, which was building the tunnel; Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff; and the Turnpike Authority, which runs the Big Dig, the officials said.

The design firm, Gannett Fleming Inc., countered that its design was safe, the officials said. Although it was unclear how the debate played out, in the end, the Big Dig kept Gannett Fleming's design for the ceilings in the tunnel, which opened in January 2003.

``There were questions raised about whether this design was adequate to carry the weight and hold the weight that it's expected to hold," said Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly , who is leading an investigation into whether criminal charges are warranted in Del Valle's death. ``That was clearly raised, and now we're at the stage of finding out what was the result of that dispute."

A Gannett Fleming official said he could not recall the debate.

``I am not aware of any details," Don Nicholas , a Gannett Fleming vice president who worked on the Big Dig, said in a telephone interview yesterday. ``We have not gone back and looked at records. Right now, we are focused on helping out to get it fixed and the roadways back open."

Reilly said yesterday that he would continue to probe the dispute. His office has subpoenaed documents from Gannett Fleming, as well as Modern Continental, Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, and the Turnpike Authority.

Others had also questioned if the bolt-and-epoxy fixtures could hold the 2 1/2- to 3-ton ceiling panels.

James F. Bruno , who served as project manager for Modern Continental on the contract, told the Globe last week that in meetings with Big Dig officials, he and other construction managers suggested using a lighter material for the ceiling.

Big Dig officials refused, saying that lighter material would require more supports because it would vibrate more during heavy winds or traffic. The ceiling, suspended from the tunnel roof, created a ventilation path.

At about the same time this debate was unfolding in 1999, Big Dig officials decided that laboratory testing on the epoxy was no longer necessary, according to project documents.

Until then, the bonding strength of the epoxy used in the ceiling fixtures had been tested at a lab set up to check materials including concrete, steel, and waterproofing sealants. But ``based on project experience and the resulting level of confidence," testing of ``epoxies for anchoring" was waived, according to a May 26, 1999, memo sent out to engineers on the project.

``This revision has been reviewed and approved by" Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, state officials, and the Federal Highway Administration, the memo said.

A spokesman for Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff said the firm ``is not in a position to comment because fact-gathering is just beginning." The Turnpike Authority did not respond to inquiries yesterday.

Robert Johnson , chief spokesman for the US Department of Transportation, said his agency ``is reviewing years of records and decisions."

``It would be premature to comment on any particular document or documents," he said in a statement.

Glue on bolts removed from the tunnel roof near the accident site was brittle and cracked, not like smooth glass as it should have been, a source briefed on the state investigation but not authorized to speak publicly has told the Globe. Similar ceiling bolts in the Ted Williams Tunnel failed safety tests in 1994 because construction workers failed to mix the two epoxy ingredients correctly, didn't let it harden long enough, or failed to clean the surfaces being glued together, according to a state report.

Reilly disclosed the conflict over the design of the bolt-and-epoxy fasteners in a news conference after a tour of the Big Dig accident site, but would not release more information.

Documents obtained by the Globe also indicate that the design was questioned.

In the summer of 1999, Gannett Fleming made numerous revisions in its original fixture design, including one on July 8 that is described in Big Dig records as a change of the ``project criteria for precast concrete ceiling system," indicating that the firm believed design changes were needed.

That revision request was made on the same day that the Modern Continental contract was modified due to ``adhesive anchor failure" -- evidence that the fixtures failed tests in which devices pulled on the bolts to see if they would come loose.

The ongoing investigation is not the first time Gannett Fleming's work on the Big Dig has been questioned.

In 2004, Edward M. Ginsburg , the retired probate court judge who was then pursuing refunds for shoddy work on behalf of the state, filed breach of contract lawsuits against Gannett Fleming and eight other smaller design firms under the supervision of Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Gannett Fleming's work on the Big Dig, including the I-90 connector tunnel, ``contained numerous defects, errors and omissions," the lawsuit alleged..