BOSTON -- Massachusetts' Turnpike Authority chairman, under fire following the death of a Boston woman crushed by a 3-ton ceiling tile in an Interstate 90 tunnel, said he will not step down from his job, despite the governor's plan to remove him from office.

Matt Amorello told reporters at a news conference Wednesday that he would not respond to Gov. Mitt Romney's plan to remove him from his post overseeing the state's highway system, saying he responded to criticism of his leadership in court documents several years ago.

"We have been cooperative in the exchange of information," Amorello said. "We are working where we should be working together. There's obviously a lot of politics involved."

"My job has always been public safety," Amorello added. "I've tried to put politics aside and only focus on my jobs and responsibilities."

To that end, Amorello said a review has been ordered of the entire metro-Boston highway system, including "everything inside Route 128," the tunnel systems -- the Callahan, Sumner and Williams tunnels -- as well as the Zakim Bridge and the Interstate 90 and Interstate 93 tunnels through downtown Boston.

Amorello said he can't go back and rebuild portions of Big Dig roadways that were constructed before he assumed his post, but he said he would work to ensure that accidents like the one Monday that claimed the life of Milena Del Valle, 38, would never happen again.

Del Valle and her husband Angel Del Valle, 46, were on their way to Logan International Airport to pick up relatives who were returning from a vacation when several of the 3-ton panels fell on their car, crushing Milena. Angel escaped with minor injuries.

Amorello said highway crews were working to remove ceiling panels in the area where the accident occurred in the connector tunnel that links I-90 eastbound with the Ted Williams Tunnel in South Boston.

He said the highway would remain closed as long as the process and concurrent investigations and inspections take place. He added that the highway would likely stay closed longer than originally anticipated because state and federal investigators have now designated the area a crime scene and the panels that fell will have to be marked and placed in evidence bags following basic forensic procedures.

"We had hoped to have things progressing more quickly, but because of the nature of the crime investigation and because of the request of from the U.S. Attorney and attorney general's office, we will be taking them down in a fashion that satisfies them," Amorello said.

In addition, Amorello said, engineers have located 60 more isolated locations on the eastbound section of I-90 leading to the accident scene where the bolts that help hold up the ceiling panels "may be compromised."

"We don't believe they're at risk of falling, but the tunnels are closed as a precautionary measure," Big Dig project director Mike Lewis said, but investigators will evaluate all the areas on the eastbound side and, eventually, on the westbound and high occupancy vehicle lanes as well, to determine whether repairs or replacements need to be made.

"Where there are bolts ... these individual locations where the threaded bolts were used, where something appears to have pulled out or be somewhat of a gap between the ceiling, those have been identified as potentially problematic. Those are being investigated further," Lewis said. "It's a concern."

Amorello said he asked Bechtel Parsons Brinkerhoff to give him a report on what their role was in 1999 to 2001 when the ceiling panels were going up and what the impact will be on air quality in the tunnels when the questionable ceiling tiles are removed.

Highway officials said the ceiling panels used in the Ted Williams tunnel were different from those used in the I-90 connector. Lewis said the concrete and steel panels used in the Ted Williams weigh approximately 800 pounds, making them more light weight. He said he wasn't sure why the Ted Williams Tunnel panels are different, or whether they cost more to use than the heavier panels.

"I think the system of panels in the I-93 and the I-90 tunnels are a more cost-effective solution than those we used in the Ted Williams Tunnel. They are a less costly solution than those used in the Ted Williams Tunnel," Lewis said.

Amorello said the state won't spare any expense now in addressing shortcomings in the roadway system. He said whoever is responsible for the problems will have to pay for the repairs.