Thursday, 4:30 PM
Romney: Number of problems in tunnel now 1,454
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent
Governor Mitt Romney this afternoon said that inspectors have found 1,454 problem bolt hangers in the concrete ceiling of the Interstate 90 connector tunnel that partially collapsed last week and killed a woman -- four times higher than the 362 officials found on Friday.
Romney, who assumed oversight of safety inspections with emergency legislation last week, used a marker to draw several diagrams of the ceiling system at an afternoon press conference as he explained the issues that plague bolts held in place with epoxy.
“We can’t count on them,” said Romney. “Any place there is an epoxy ceiling system in the I-90 connector tunnel, we are going to put in a redundant system.”
Engineers plan to reinforce some of the faulty connections with steel and secure others with an “undercut connector bolt” that is drilled 10 inches into the concrete and expands at the end as an anchor.
“It literally cuts a special channel inside the concrete,” said Romney, holding up a large silver pipe which has been used in the New York City on the subway system and on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.
The undercut connector bolt is being field tested tonight and could be installed as early as Tuesday, Romney said.
The ceiling of the Ted Williams Tunnel, which is still open to traffic, also has an epoxy bolt system securing concrete ceiling tiles, which help facilitate airflow throughout the $14.6 billion Big Dig, Romney said.
However, the Ted Williams Tunnel's 700-pound ceiling tiles are much lighter that 6,000-pound slabs that fell last Monday in the connector, and the hanger system in much more “rigid” and “robust,” Romney said. Engineers are now making daily inspections of the tunnel’s ceiling, which has shown no movement in the seven years since it opened, Romney said.
Last Monday, 12 tons of concrete came crashing into the connector tunnel and killed Milena Del Valle, 38, of Jamaica Plain.
The connector, which links the Massachusetts Turnpike with the Ted Williams Tunnel, has been closed since the accident. On Sunday, officials shutdown another tube – the westbound I-90/Ted Williams ramp to I-93 in both directions at Exit 24 – after inspectors found 40 more potentially dangerous bolt fixtures.
The closure is forcing traffic onto surface streets in South Boston, a move traffic watchers fear could make tonight’s commute the worst since the connector tunnel partially collapsed.
By the end of this weekend, officials hope to open Ramp A, which links D Street in South Boston to Interstate 90 east, Romney said. In another week, traffic may be flowing on Ramp D, the link between I-90 west and Interstate 93.
