"Panel urges more funds to keep tunnels safe; Big Dig needs regular upkeep, letter warns" by Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | August 14, 2008
Oh, man, did the Mass. taxpayers ever take a bath!!!
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, already struggling with debt and rising costs, must find a way to dedicate more money to the regular maintenance and long-term rehabilitation projects necessary to keep the Big Dig tunnels safe, according to an influential panel appointed after a ceiling collapse in 2006 killed a woman.
A June 27 letter from the panel to Governor Deval Patrick, obtained by the Globe, said the agency must revise its long-term spending estimates and find a reliable source of money "commensurate with the scale of the system" to keep the $15 billion tunnels and the rest of the turnpike from deteriorating.
They JUST FINISHED IT!!!!!!!!!!!
WTF?!!!!!!!!
In addition to overall maintenance issues, the letter points to several specific concerns previously identified during the engineering review. Together, they are a further reminder that spending on the project is far from over. The panel cited:
- the need for a long-term program to plug leaks. The panel said water levels in the tunnels are "consistent with the most stringent US and international requirements." But builders had promised the state the tunnels would have no leaks at all. The letter does not say how extensive the leaks currently are, but previous reports put the number at 670 late last year. The Turnpike Authority continues to spend money plugging them, approving a $5 million contract in June.
- lingering concerns that some Ted Williams Tunnel ceiling anchors cannot be inspected because of the lack of crawl space. Engineers, who began inspecting the ceilings after Del Valle's death, recommend retrofitting these sections with additional support to ensure safety.
- the poor condition of the Sumner and Callahan tunnels, which predate the Big Dig by decades. Repairs to ceilings in both will be "costly," the letter says. Engineers said in the letter that a plan to fix the Sumner ceiling should be developed within two years.
- the need to continuously monitor fire safety standards in the tunnels. The US Department of Transportation's inspector general has recommended that tunnels meet a higher fire safety standard than the one in place when the Big Dig was designed.
Mary Connaughton, a member of the Turnpike Authority Board, said the authority does not have the money to maintain the Big Dig and that costs will only continue to go up. "The only way the turnpike is going to have that money is to increase tolls," she said. "Where else could it come from?"
BEND OVER AGAIN, Massachusetts residents!
We are never going to stop paying for that piece of crap, are we?
And look at who we are PAYING OFF because of this corporate and government thievery:
"the banks have exercised options that cost the authority about $10 million a year in increased payments. And another option available to the banks in January could double the additional cost."
Oh my God; we are PAYING OFF BANKS!!!
