3/17/2011
NEWS BRIEFS
Fastener Failure Suspected in Latest Big Dig Incident
Collapse in 2007 (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)
A 110-pound light fixture crashed onto a highway in Boston’s Big Dig tunnel system, prompting state officials to launch an inspection of thousands of light fixtures, the Boston Globe reports.
“State Transportation Secretary Jeffrey B. Mullan said that years of corrosion had weakened the aluminum rails by which the 8-foot-long light fixture was suspended from the ceiling, causing the steel fasteners to fail,” writes Eric Moskowitz of the Globe.
Officials claim the vast majority of the 23,000 light fixtures throughout the tunnels were undamaged, and that “most of the corrosion was concentrated at the entrances and exits of tunnels where moisture from the outside is most prevalent.”
The light fixture that fell had corrosion that affected all 10 clips.
The latest incident and resulting investigation were kept under wraps for more than a month, most likely due to the numerous construction problems on the Big Dig.
In 2007 Brewster, NY-based Powers Fasteners was charged with manslaughter in the death of Milena Del Valle, who was crushed when the tunnel ceiling panels collapsed. The company settled the case for $16 million, plus an additional $6 million settlement with the woman’s family. ©2011 GlobalFastenerNews.com
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