Original Source
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REUTERS

May 15, 2005

Boston 'Big Dig' Safety Report Sparks Outrage
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By Greg Frost
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BOSTON (Reuters) - The centerpiece of Boston's $14.6 billion "Big Dig" highway project may not be safe to drive in, according to a published report on Tuesday that sparked outrage and worry among motorists.
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Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney called the new revelation "absolutely startling" and said he would seek permission to fire Matthew Amorello as chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, the agency that oversees the Big Dig.
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The Boston Globe reported on Tuesday that the engineering expert who last year reassured lawmakers that the giant 14-year-old project's Central Artery tunnel was safe despite the discovery of hundreds of leaks is now voicing doubts.

The Globe obtained a letter from tunnel consultant Jack Lemley, who spearheaded a probe of leaks in the Big Dig and testified in November that he did not think there was any risk to motorists who use the tunnels.
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But Lemley's letter to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, dated March 9, said he had received new information about defects in dozens of sections of tunnel wall as well as fireproofing material damaged by leaks, the Globe said.

He also said project officials had prevented him from accessing documents and other information related to the problems, the paper reported.
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"I am now unable to express an opinion to the safety of the I-93 portion of the Central Artery," Lemley wrote.

Lemley's office in Boise, Idaho, said he would not be available to comment on the report.

MASSIVE PROJECT, MAJOR PROBLEMS
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Designed to replace outdated elevated highways in downtown Boston with tunnels, the Big Dig is one of the largest public works projects in U.S. history, likened by project leaders to the building of the Hoover Dam or the Panama Canal.
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It has produced a seemingly never-ending saga of traffic headaches, political scandals, engineering glitches and billions of dollars in cost overruns.
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The Globe first reported in November that engineers working on the Big Dig discovered hundreds of leaks in the project, which in turn were sending millions of gallons of water gushing into the mammoth tunnel system below Boston.
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Romney, who called for Amorello's resignation last year amid reports of the leaks, held a news conference on Tuesday in which he blamed a "culture of obstruction and cover-up" at the Turnpike Authority and again targeted Amorello.
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While Romney said he would continue to use the underground highways, he voiced doubt about their safety and said he would ask state highway officials to independently assess the risk.

"I don't feel as safe in the tunnel today as I did yesterday," Romney told reporters. "If he (Lemley) doesn't know whether the tunnels are safe, then I don't, either, and that's intolerable."
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Turnpike officials were not immediately available for comment, but Amorello was due to address reporters on Tuesday afternoon.

Melissa Smith, who occasionally drives through the tunnels on her way to and from work, said the latest report made her more paranoid about using them.

"It leads me to wonder how safe the tunnel really is," she told Reuters. "I'll definitely be looking up when I drive through it."
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(additional reporting by Kevin McNicholas)

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