10/22/2015
NEWS BRIEFS
Collapse in 2007 (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)
“Hundreds of cracked or deteriorating nuts holding up Big Dig tunnel light fixtures must be replaced, but state highway officials say they have no idea how much it will cost taxpayers to fix the defective hardware,” the Boston Herald reports.
Inspectors in Boston have found 878 damaged nuts in the Ted Williams Tunnel and 49 nuts that must be replaced in two other tunnels, according to MassDOT Highway Administrator Thomas Tinlin.
“The working theory is they may have been over-torqued and became damaged when somebody thought they needed to over-tighten them,” Tinlin told the Herald. “All of these could have been cracked since the day they were installed.”
A state-contracted engineering firm found a cracked nut on a tunnel light fixture on Sept. 15, prompting a project-wide inspection.
Tinlin told the Herald the nut-and-bolt system is one of three separate structures securing the lights to the ceiling.
“We know the lighting system in the tunnels is safe. There is no danger of this falling.”
Replacing the fasteners could take six months, but the cost has yet to be determined. If the fasteners were damaged during installation, the cost could be funded by a $303 million trust fund established to hold settlement money from shoddy construction.
The damaged fasteners become the latest mishap of the Big Dig, which has been plagued by cost overruns and poor construction.
In 2011, officials in Boston blamed corroded fasteners for the collapse of a 110-pound metal ceiling tile in the tunnel system.
In 2006, a woman named Milena Del Valle was crushed when ceiling panels collapsed while she was traveling through the tunnel system in a car.
For more, visit the Fastener History section of GlobalFastenerNews.com:
2006 FIN – Fastener Applications Scrutinized in Boston’s ‘Big Dig’ Collapse
Massachusetts Gov. Romney: “In grabbing hold of these bolts and pulling on them with excess force, they’re letting go a lot earlier than they should have.”
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