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Tunnel Update
Posted by Raven on May 6th, 2005
Update on the Tunnel inspections:
BOSTON – Big Dig investigators checking construction work in the project’s Interstate 93 tunnel wrapped up their initial inspection of the entire tunnel this week, finding 35 more wall sections in need of some repairs.
That brings the total number of defective wall panels in the $14.6 billion project to 169 of about 2,000 panels. The majority of those panels, about 125, will require minor patching while another 42 will need more extensive repairs.
Two panels, including the breach that opened up last September sending water gushing into one of the tunnels and stopping traffic, will need extensive repair work. Project officials are still weighing the best way to fix those walls.
Even as they announced the completion of the inspections, officials from Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff cautioned that the number of defective panels may climb even higher.
Keith Sibley, construction director for project managers Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, said inspectors are going to return to one of the deeper portions of the I-93 tunnel, where it dips to pass under the ramps for the Sumner and Callahan tunnels, to take a closer look at the wall panels there.
Sibley said most of the defects in the walls have occurred in the deepest portions of the tunnel and inspectors want to make sure they didn’t miss anything the first time.
Sibley said the cost of the repairs will be picked up by Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff or subcontractors.
“We are confident that the walls are going to perform as contractually specified,” he said.
Big Dig project director Michael Lewis said the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which oversees the massive highway project, reserves the right to ask for more inspections.
Lewis said he was surprised by the extent of the problems in the walls, which officials at first believed were isolated to one section of the tunnel.
Sibley said part of the problem seems to be the difficulty of using the type of construction method used to build the walls – known as “slurry wall” construction – at the depths of the Big Dig Tunnels At its deepest, near South Station, the tunnel is about 120 feet below the surface.
May 6th, 2005 at 7:29 am
Let me help you out on this one. Here’s a news release that could have been used every month for the past 10 years, and will still be able to be used every month for the next 10 years:
The Big Dig Tunnels for Boston are over budget and need just a little more money for completion. There have been unanticipated problems that have caused the extra expenditures. All extra money will go to making sure the tunnel is safe.
May 6th, 2005 at 7:32 am
Raja of Knowing When To Hold Them
Today’s dose of NIF – News, Interesting & Funny … It’s Friday!
May 6th, 2005 at 9:52 pm
Gee Raven, I can’t understand why you don’t want to go through the tunnel to my gig….
May 7th, 2005 at 7:25 pm
Ahh I am just a little timid about driving through them tunnels…They look like they could come crashing down any time. Scary…:???: