BOSTON -- There could be some big problems on the Big Dig. Engineers investigating a leak in the Interstate 93 tunnel found that the problem is much worse than they thought.

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NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that the repairs could be very expensive.

An eight-inch leak in the northbound lanes of the Interstate 93 tunnel in September caused miles of traffic backups, and officials said that leak may be just a drop in the bucket.

Big Dig officials say the contractor, Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, failed miserably and will have to pay for the mistakes, rather than push the cost onto taxpayers.

"This particular slurry wall is not the quality we were promised by the contractor, nor the quality we expected. Some water seepage and small leaks are inevitable in dealing with tunnels; there should be no breaches like the kind we suffered in September. It is simply unacceptable," said Massachusetts Turnpike Chair Matt Amorello.

"The taxpayers of this Commonwealth will not pay one dime. Not one penny extra for any of the failures of the contactors, engineers or people responsible for doing this project from the get go," said Turnpike board member Jordan Levy. "I can tell you personally I am outraged. I am absolutely outraged, and dismayed at the quality of some of this work, as being reported to us, on the responsibilities of those who were entrusted with the taxpayers money and with the job they are going to do."

Several panels in the tunnel are still being examined. The exact cost of the repairs has not been determined, but officials say millions of dollars-worth of work were done in a slipshod way.

"There are 400 or so various types of leaks. You have to recall that this tunnel is under water and the ground water table in the Boston area is 10 feet below the surface, so the tunnel itself is in water," said Amorello.

Some small leaks were anticipated and posed no significant problems. Repairs could take years to complete.

"We are going to get the project done. We didn't cause the slurry wall to be done wrong. Bechtel is responsible for the quality of the work. We are going to hold the people responsible. We are not gong to get scapegoats, we are not going to find some political answer here, and we are not going to point fingers. We are just going to hold people responsible for what they were hired to do for a change. That will be unique in Massachusetts," said Levy.

Meanwhile, NewsCenter 5's Rhondella Richardson reported, the news of the problem hit Boston commuters hard Wednesday.

"It's ridiculous. It's a $14.6 billion project and it's leaking within one year of opening. I don't know if it's worth it," said one driver.

The I-93 Big Dig, the answer to hours of traffic jams, now has commuters questioning the integrity of every concrete slab and person who signed off on the project.

"I'm very upset considering all the time to build, and now 10 more years to fix it. It's just ridiculous," said another driver. "I was at the Hoover Dam and that was built many, many years ago, and they don't have the leaks we have in the Big Dig. It's deplorable."

Although officials insist that the tunnel is safe, drivers say their trust in the project is waning.

Attorney General Tom Reilly is also investigating the problems including the ceilings and walls, as well as who knew about the problems and when.