BOSTON -- Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is expected to sign emergency legislation Friday that would give the state ultimate control over Big Dig tunnel inspections and the final say over when the Ted Williams tunnel is reopened.

The state Legislature passed the bill late Thursday, saying it was time to restore public confidence in the safety of the tunnels following a tragic accident in an Interstate 90 connector tunnel Monday night that claimed the life of a Boston woman.

Milena Del Valle, 38, was crushed to death when several 3-ton tunnel ceiling panels fell on her car as she and her husband were heading to Logan International Airport. Her husband Angel, 46, escaped through a narrow opening on his side of the car with minor injuries.

Meanwhile east and westbound portions of I-90 leading to the Ted Williams Tunnel remain closed. The eastbound section has been designated a crime scene and both state and federal investigators continue to examine remaining panels and other sections of roadway to determine the extent of the safety risk.

They now say there are at least 242 flawed ceiling panels, up from 60 earlier in the week.

NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that lawmakers on Beacon Hill moved swiftly Thursday to give Romney the power to say when the tunnels will be reopened, stripping Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman Matt Amorello of final authority over the inspection process.

The House passed the emergency bill empowering Romney by 150 to 3. The Senate voted 32 to 2.

"'Cause I believe that there is, in the view of the general public, a crisis of confidence in the present structure and we needed to do something definitive to restore that confidence in our highway system," Senate President Robert Travaglini said.

After signing the bill Friday, Romney will have immediate power over tunnel inspections. The bill calls for $20 million to be allocated for the safety audit.

"There should no longer be any doubt that the Turnpike Authority has failed to do its job. It's hard to view Monday's catastrophe as an accident," Romney said.

Lawmakers urged Amorello to accept a lesser role, as an authority board member. Both the House speaker and Senate president said he should heed calls to step down. But even with public calls mounting for him to step down, Amorello said on a radio program Thursday night that he would not step down.

Romney was to meet Friday with representatives from the Massachusetts Highway Department, the Federal Highway Administration and the Turnpike Authority for a briefing on the status of the inspection, spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said.

Michael Lewis, the Big Dig director, said not only had 50 bolt assemblies come loose in the eastbound section of the tunnel where Del Valle was killed, but there were 68 suspect assemblies in the westbound section, 45 in the section carrying carpool traffic, and 79 suspect assemblies in ramps connecting Interstate 90 with Interstate 93.

A day earlier, Lewis had only cited 60 potential trouble spots.

Lewis said the road may remain closed for weeks, until federal officials review the panels and workers fix any needing repair. "It will be reopened in segments, not all at once," he said.

The panels provided a dropped ceiling to assist in ventilation, but experts have questioned whether they needed to be so heavy, with each ceiling panel weighing about 3 tons. As the tunnel continues to undergo inspection, authorities are considering whether it would be feasible to remove the ceiling panels and leave the large fans above them exposed indefinitely.

The state's congressional delegation Thursday signed a letter asking the National Transportation Safety Board to lead the investigation, saying it is one of the few agencies without any apparent involvement in the project that would create a conflict of interest.

The state is seeking millions in compensation from companies that managed the project.

Romney warned: "At some point, the pressure builds and builds and builds, and the public gets angry enough, that they say, `You know what? This really is wrong."'

The company that oversaw the Big Dig Construction, Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, released a statement Friday saying, "The tragic accident on Monday evening and the loss of public confidence in the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel are of great concern to Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff. We are committed to supporting efforts to investigate the accident, re-open the highway, and address public concerns.

We endorse and will fully support a prompt, non-partisan, expert and objective review of the entire Central Artery/Tunnel project with a focus on potential public safety issues. Although we believe the project's engineering, construction, and quality assurance processes were robust, a comprehensive review -- including design, construction, operations, and maintenance -- is essential to restoring public confidence in this historic project.

Supporting concrete ceiling panels by anchoring bolts to the roof with epoxy adhesive is widely and successfully used throughout the construction industry. The investigation of this tragic accident is still at an early stage. To determine the causes requires a thorough forensic analysis of design, methods, materials, procedures, and documentation. We have expert resources to contribute and professional experience and insights we will be pleased to share."