Expert Won't Vouch For Big Dig Tunnel Safety

BOSTON -- Leaks in the Interstate 93 section of tunnel on the $14. 6 billion Big Dig, and recent cases of fireproofing falling down inside the roadway, have now led to an even more troublesome report. A Big Dig engineer says he cannot guarantee the I-93 tunnel is safe to drive through.

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NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that an independent investigator who was hired to look into the tunnel leaks after they were discovered testified on Beacon Hill last fall, saying he thought the highway was safe.

"I have no reason to believe that there is any risk to public health and safety with the complex as it exists today," Jack Lemley testified last November.

Now, however, Lemley is not so certain. According to the Boston Globe, Lemley wrote a letter dated March 9, 2005 saying "I am now unable to express an opinion as to the safety of the I-93 portion of the Central Artery ... my modified position is necessary due to a revised understanding of the magnitude of problems that we became aware of following our testimony of Nov. 30, 2004."

Lemley went on to write that there was new information indicating that at least 44 large sections of tunnel wall contain construction defects. Water and ice have damaged fireproofing materials, some of which recently fell onto the roadway.

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Gail Huff Reports On Big Dig

Lemley also wrote that Big Dig officials have prevented him from seeing records and data related to new problems and added that officials do not appear to have a plan for fixing tunnel leak problems.

A spokesman for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority told the Globe Chairman Matthew Amorello had not received Lemley's letter yet.

"We believe the tunnels are perfectly safe. If we ever had a reasonable inkling otherwise we would close the tunnels. Public safety is always our first concern," Doug Hatchett said.

Gov. Mitt Romney's spokesman said Lemley's letter is a cause for concern. Romney has been calling for Amorello's resignation for several months.

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