US urges full review of Big Dig

WASHINGTON -- A top federal transportation official is raising concerns about the adequacy of the state's Big Dig safety review, saying it should examine ``the entire project," including ramps, roadways, and area bridges.

Todd J. Zinser, the Department of Transportation's acting inspector general, sent a letter late Thursday to members of the state's congressional delegation expressing concern that the ``safety audit of all tunnels" ordered by the Legislature could overlook important items.

He cited the need to test ramps, roadways, and Boston's bridges, in addition to the underground portions of the Big Dig. He also said that tests are necessary on mechanical and electrical systems, such as ventilation and fire-control equipment, as well as security procedures and emergency-response communications.

``In our view, a comprehensive safety review of the [Big Dig] project should examine more than just the tunnel infrastructure," Zinser wrote. ``We believe a comprehensive review would necessarily encompass the entire project."

Zinser asked Congress for $2 million for his own oversight efforts, marking the first time a federal agency is asking for money to investigate the July 10 collapse of a Big Dig tunnel ceiling, which killed a 38-year-old Jamaica Plain woman. The Federal Highway Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are also investigating the factors that contributed to the fatal ceiling collapse, but so far are paying for their work from their regular budgets.

The Legislature provided $20 million this month for the governor to implement a safety review of ``metropolitan highway system" tunnels in Boston, but the legislation did not mention aspects of the Big Dig other than the tunnels. Romney has not produced a timetable for the safety audit and has not yet designated anyone to lead it.

The inspector general is examining the overall management of the $14.6-billion project. In his letter, Zinser wrote that the additional federal money would help expand ``investigative, audit, and engineering units," and bring in outside experts from the Army Corps of Engineers. The inspector general described his role as that of oversight over the various state and federal agencies that are conducting investigations.

Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney spokesman, said the governor has been planning to conduct a review that is as comprehensive as the one the inspector general is describing. While the audit authorized by the Legislature only specifically mentions tunnels, the governor will ask the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board for permission to move ahead on a wider series of safety checks.

``We always imagined a far more comprehensive review involving the entire [Central Artery/Tunnel] system, including bridges, roads, and mechanical and electrical systems," said Fehrnstrom.

But US Representative Michael E. Capuano, a Somerville Democrat, chided Romney for not developing an outline of his review or picking someone to head it. He said that, absent a specific set of goals, the governor's talk of a ``stem to stern" audit of the Big Dig is ``political rhetoric."

``If by next week we don't see the outlines of the `stem to stern' review, we can question whether we'll ever get one," said Capuano, who represents much of Boston and who serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. ``Three weeks after the tragedy, 2 1/2 weeks after they got the $20 million, I can't imagine that they can't have a pretty clear idea of what they're doing."

Fehrnstrom said the state's review will be led by engineering firms that have no ties to the Big Dig. He said the governor is in the process of assembling a team that will carry out the audit, and pointed out that the governor's top priority is establishing the safety of the Interstate 90 connector tunnel so that it can be reopened.

Since 2000, federal contributions to the Big Dig have been capped at $8.549 billion, a move made in response to the project's spiraling costs. But several members of Congress said that sending money to the inspector general would not violate that agreement, since the cap only applies to money sent to the state and the Turnpike Authority.

Capuano said he will inquire about several different legislative paths before making any formal requests for money.

One possibility, he said, would be for the inspector general's investigation to be paid for with some of the $81 million the Federal Highway Administration is withholding from the Big Dig pending a review of the project's finances.

Though many in Congress have balked at spending more money on the Big Dig, Democratic and Republican leaders have made clear that they are committed to seeing robust investigations move forward.

``This is the kind of oversight problem that we've got to solve so we don't repeat these problems," said Representative Joseph Knollenberg, a Michigan Republican who is chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that oversees transportation.

``They had enough money that they should have been able to do the job on what they had, and it should have been a good job, not something that deteriorates in a matter of a few short years," Knollenberg said. ``It's incredible to me."