Holy crap. Considering how much was spent on this job, why are huge pieces falling off of it?
Falling concrete slabs crushed a car inside one of the city’s troubled Big Dig tunnels, killing a woman and tying up traffic Tuesday with another shutdown in the massive building project that has become a central route through the city.
The car’s driver was able to crawl through a window to escape, but his passenger was killed when the massive, 3-ton concrete panels fell, authorities said.
Inside the Interstate 90 connector tunnel, beneath an industrial area of South Boston, concrete slabs could be seen against the tunnel wall and across the roadway.
Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman Matthew Amorello said Tuesday he doesn’t believe safety is compromised elsewhere in the tunnel system, but the damaged section was closed indefinitely for repairs and inspections.
China can build a rail line across the top of the world, and we can’t build a tunnel system in one of our oldest cities? Would it be America bashing to say we need to pay more attention to our infrastructure?
Yes.
Because the right defines America bashing as: Anything said by a liberal that identifies problems in the United States that need to be proactively addressed to improve the state of the union.
Yours Truly,
Another Godless Commie (aka: Democrat)
Funny you mention rail.
Currently the Boston metro area has two separate commuter rail systems – one to the north and northwest of downtown which funnels into North Station, and another to the south and southeast of downtown. And it’s the same situation with Amtrak. Points south and west of Boston are served by South Station, points north of Boston are served by North Station. If you want to take Amtrak from New York to Portland, you have to get off at South Station, take a taxi, subway, or bus to North Station, and catch another train from there.
The ideal route connecting the two stations lies along the route of the Central Artery. Construction of a rail tunnel in conjunction with the highway tunnel was considered and rejected. Planning has started anew on the rail tunnel, but due to this lost opportunity, such construction will now cost billions more than it would have if it had been done in conjunction with the highway.
Oh, quit being so sensitive, you Godless Commie. Freaking babies. 😀
Boston Metro infrastructure was the prime reason I left — a couple decades ago.
I lived on the South Shore. My office was in Cambridge. If I decided to drop in there on a Sunday — a clear drive — it took about 25 minutes. During the workweek, I spent on average about 3 hours/day commuting.
I can’t imagine it’s improved.
Typical government boondoggle. The contractors see dollar signs and skimp on the concrete.
From a state that gives us John Kerry and Ted Kennedy.
Don’t forget everyone’s favorite conservatives: Benedict Arnold and the John Birch Society.
Watch them shut the whole thing down for massive inspections. Just in time for the tourist season! What a mess. Boston is so obviously mobbed-up that this was bound to happen.
I wonder if the fact that old parts of Boston are slowly sinking had anything to do with the collapse?
http://www.bostongroundwater.org/bckincaid.html
With contractors like these who needs terrorists?
something to note.
The English tunnel to France..
The Insurrer, has quit.
The tunnel leaks, somewhat in the middle..
You’re right, Zuke, this has little to do with left or right. It has to do with the fact that our government is disfunctional and our infrastructure is in terrible shape. The right don’t want to spend on the public and the left doesn’t know how.
They never should have had the project to begin with. At the least the Feds hsould have said we’re not spending any money on this. I haven’t heard any complaints about the Harbor Tunnel portion of this. What’s weird is they already had a bridge connecting the same points, and they built this to blow up the bridge.
Here’s an update:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060711/ap_on_re_us/big_dig_death
I also left the Boston area because of traffic in 1990.
I fly into New England about 10 times a year and would not use logan airport if the flight was free.
After the big dig was finished I decided to give logan another try. I tried to use the tunnel to get back to the airport only to find that it was closed because it leaks and every night 40,000 gallons of seawater had to be pumped out of it.
There nothing like good ‘ol American craftsmanship. Actually, I don’t blame the construction workers I blame the CEO and CFO of the construction company. More than likely they are the ones that ended up with the kickbacks.
#7 god –
That’s a really silly comparison. The John Birch Society has never successfully sponsored candidates for Congress or the Presidency, and we know nothing about Benedict Arnold’s politics other than that he was a decorated war hero who became a traitor. (Wait , that sounds awfully familiar.)
#13 AB CD – which bridge are you talking about? The Williams tunnel which connects to the airport did not follow the alignment of any existing bridge or tunnel. Or were you referring to the elevated highway that was moved underground?
And Benedict Arnold was from Connecticut, not Boston.
no, this does not have anything to do with Left or Right – both sides shovel the pork with both hands. one cannot help but note that it is less hypocritical of the Dems to do so, since they do not pretend to be the party of small government.
be that as it may, there needs to be some kind of moratorium on new public work projects (bridge to nowhere!) while we dump a lot of money into really unsexy things like maintenance. I recall right after Katrina, it was noted in California that the levy system is in a similar state of disrepair. and what ever happened to the electricity infrastructure problems that caused the blackout a few years ago? did they magically disappear?
>referring to the elevated highway that was moved underground?
Yes. Is the Williams Tunnel part of the Big Dig? It opened much earlier.
Douglass Truth –
Sorry, but that’s very sloppy “logic”. This incident was caused by shoddy construction, not lack of funding – go back and look at what was spent on this project, again – $14 BILLION. And it hasn’t been open long enough that “maintenance” would an issue.
And I assume that you’re referring to the levees in New Orleans as well. Same issues here. Shoddy construction, corruption, but again, these problems were not due to lack of money.
When the Verrazzano bridge was built the german architect/engineer had his apt overlooking the progress. He did not trust americans, so he closely monitored the materials and the work done. The problem today is corrupted corporate culture who is interesed in profits, happy stock holders than honesty, safety and being of service to society. Just think how things will be in re- constructing war torn people’s infrastructure, people they have not kind regard for. What a legacy they will leave behind for posterity. They will become the fuel for eternal hell for what they leave behind.