Massachusetts reopens portion of 'Big Dig' tunnel
BOSTON (Reuters) - A busy section of the "Big Dig" highway system was reopened to buses on Friday, one day after Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney closed the tunnel to all traffic as safety concerns mounted because of a deadly accident.
The eastbound lanes of the Ted Williams Tunnel reopened for buses only to travel to the city's Logan International Airport after workers reinforced ceiling panels overnight, said John Carlisle, a spokesman for the state's Department of Transportation.
The state put in two shoring towers and a beam to support the panels, leaving a lane open in the tunnel for the buses to travel through, Carlisle said.
The tunnel, part of the "Big Dig" project that has been troubled by cost overruns, faulty construction and leaks, was closed for less than 24 hours.
Romney closed the section on Thursday after inspectors found that anchors holding a ceiling panel had come loose 10 days after panels in another part of the tunnel fell onto a car, killing a woman riding in it.
The tunnel, part of America's biggest public works project, buried miles of elevated roadways through Boston's congested downtown area underground.
State officials closed portions of the 7.8-mile tunnel system after a 3-ton concrete ceiling panel crushed Milena Del Valle to death as she traveled to the airport on July 10. Her husband, Angel, survived the accident and crawled through a car window to safety.
Buses had been using the Ted Williams Tunnel lanes to reach Logan Airport since the accident.
Initial investigations blamed the collapse on a system of bolt-and-epoxy fasteners used to suspend the tunnel's ceiling. Romney has since said that all 1,454 locations throughout the tunnel where those fasteners are in use will be reinforced.
The closure of the tunnels has forced drivers above ground again, trying up traffic for miles every day.
Romney, a Republican and 2008 presidential hopeful, last week took control of the inspection process, ordering a full review of the in the $15 billion project.
