Massport rejects parts of Big Dig

The Massachusetts Port Authority is refusing to take ownership of a 3/4-mile section of the Ted Williams Tunnel and a nearby elevated ramp leading into Logan International Airport, saying the structures are in poor condition and require significant repairs, according to documents obtained by the Globe.

The tunnel section has been damaged by water leaking from ceilings and walls, according to the documents and interviews. In addition, the pavement on the ramp is cracked, and the concrete supports have air pockets, potentially weakening the structure.

The tunnel and ramp, which are part of the Big Dig, opened in 2001. The construction was overseen by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and project manager Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Because of the construction flaws, Massport, which operates the airport, is holding back $50 million it was scheduled to pay in exchange for gaining control of the roads under an agreement approved in 1999 by the Legislature to help finance the Big Dig. Massport is demanding that the Turnpike Authority either complete repairs, which may cost as much as $20 million, or that the authority pay Massport to make the repairs.

A Massport executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the problems pose no immediate risk to public safety. But he expressed concern that continued neglect could cause disintegration of the concrete that forms much of the tunnel and ramp structure.

Massport's concerns about the tunnel and ramp emerged more than a year ago, long before the July 10 ceiling collapse inside the Interstate 90 connector, which killed a Jamaica Plain woman.

The agency is the first to raise serious questions about the construction quality of the East Boston portion of the $14.6 billion Big Dig, which has been plagued by construction problems in other areas. In 2004, a wall in the northbound Interstate 93 tunnel sprung a leak, sending water gushing onto the underground roadway. Engineers investigating the problem found hundreds of smaller leaks in the tunnel, and efforts to seal them are not completed.

The July 10 collapse of ceiling tiles inside the I-90 connector in South Boston has triggered widespread concerns about the soundness of the bolt-and-epoxy fasteners used to suspend the ceiling tiles inside the connector and the Ted Williams Tunnel. Governor Mitt Romney has said that nearly all 1,150 bolts inside the connector tunnel are not reliable and that two bolts also came loose within the Williams Tunnel, which will undergo a complete inspection.

The problems raised by Massport do not involve ceiling suspension, and are focused on the East Boston portion of the project, closest to the airport.

Massport was scheduled to take possession of the tunnel and ramp this year, but discussions between the agencies appear to be at a standstill.

Correspondence obtained by the Globe shows that Massport has complained for several years to the Turnpike Authority about the construction and delayed repairs.

In the interview with the Globe, the Massport executive outlined several problems, including the existence of voids, or air pockets, in the concrete beams that hold up the ramp. Those voids attract moisture, which can corrode concrete, though no corrosion currently is visible, he said.

On the road surface of the ramp, the executive said, the top layer of pavement, which is 1 1/2 inches thick, is supposed to last 15 to 20 years. But it has already cracked and crumbled after only five years of use -- problems that he said are obvious upon visual inspection. The cracks have allowed water and salt to penetrate, and threaten the underlying structural concrete, the executive said.

``The turnpike agrees it is a problem, but there's been no fix," the executive said.

The executive also said that leaking inside the tunnel ceiling and walls has been constant since the roadway opened in April 2001 and that large rust stains mark several tunnel walls.

``The leaking has gone on for so long that that we don't know what it has done to the tiles and concrete," the executive said.

Danny Levy, spokeswoman for Massport, declined to provide details about the agency's discussions with the Turnpike Authority. Levy said the agency is working with the Turnpike Authority to produce a list of construction problems and how they will ultimately be fixed before accepting transfer of the property.

Michael P. Lewis , the state Big Dig project director, in a June 16 letter to Massport, acknowledged the agency's ``frustration with the slow progress of the work, the incomplete status of some of the work, and some of the deficiencies that had not been corrected in the Central Artery Tunnel work."

Turnpike Authority spokeswoman Mariellen Burns , said in an e-mail Friday that ``project personnel continue to work with Massport on the turnover of this infrastructure."

Burns did not reply to a written question about the air pockets in the concrete supports of the ramp. But she wrote that tests are being conducted on the pavement on the ramp, and repairs will follow.

Concerning the leaks in the tunnel, Burns said the problem is being addressed, but did not provide further details.

As costs on the Big Dig climbed in the 1990s, state lawmakers approved legislation requiring Massport to make payments totaling $365 million to help defray the cost of the project, saying that the airport was receiving significant benefits from the new roadways. One of the Big Dig's significant innovations was the access it provided on I-90 directly to the airport.

The Legislature required the money to be paid by Massport to the state, then transferred to the Turnpike Authority, which would use it to pay for the Big Dig.

Under the agreement, after the payments were made, the Turnpike Authority would hand over responsibility to Massport for the easternmost roadways leading into the airport, including the tunnel section and ramp.

The agreement does not affect revenues from the harbor tunnel tolls, which are collected by the Turnpike Authority.

It is not clear what effect the withholding of $50 million could mean for the Turnpike Authority's finances. The authority is already confronting loss of revenues because of the ongoing closure of the Ted Williams Tunnel, which has resulted in a decline of more than $500,000 since the ceiling collapse.

The condition of the road surface on the viaduct also drew attention from Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, who in a letter in February to Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff demanded a $700,261 refund for ``pavement failure." Reilly did not address the other problems that Massport has identified.

The demand was part of Reilly's claim for $108 million in compensation to the state for shoddy work throughout the project. Negotiations with the contractor were suspended after the fatal ceiling collapse inside the I-90 tunnel.

Sean Murphy can be reached at smurphy@globe.com.