Dec 24, 2006 7:48 am US/Eastern
Big Dig I-90 Westbound Tunnel Reopens
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
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The closure after the death of 39-year-old Milena Del Valle, who died when concrete ceiling panels fell on her car, forced motorists coming from Logan Airport to exit I-90 and negotiate congested city streets to get back onto I-90 west past the tunnel.
CBS
The drive home from the airport for thousands of holiday travelers is going to be a lot easier and a lot quicker than it's been in months.
The I-90 westbound tunnel that connects the Ted Williams Tunnel to the Mass Pike is reopened and traffic is flowing.
The tunnel reopened late Saturday night after federal inspectors approved repairs made following the July 10 death of a motorist crushed by ceiling panels on the eastbound side, a state official said.
The road was closed after the death of 39-year-old Milena Del Valle, who died when concrete ceiling panels fell on her car.
The closure forced motorists coming from Logan International Airport to exit I-90 to navigate congested city streets to get back onto I-90 west past the tunnel.
One lane of the I-90 eastbound connector -- the site of the deadly accident -- is already open.
"In one capacity or another, you now have the I-90 connector open in both directions," said Jon Carlisle, spokesman for the Executive Office of Transportation.
Big Dig tunnel repairs following the fatal accident will cost an estimated $34 million, officials said this week.
Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman John Cogliano said this week that repairs are virtually complete. He said federal inspectors are in the final stages of reviewing repairs to the I-90 eastbound tunnel.
In all cases, the inspections are required before they can be reopened to the public.
The collapse of ceiling panels prompted a "stem-to-stern" review of the system that uncovered more areas in need of repair.
Workers have spent months testing and reinforcing bolts that keep the ceiling panels suspended above the roadway.
Del Valle's death is still the subject of state and federal criminal investigations. Inspectors believe that bolts that held ceiling panels in place came loose because of failures in the epoxy resin designed to glue them in place.
The $14.6 billion Big Dig -- the most expensive highway project in U.S. history -- has been plagued by problems and cost overruns throughout the two decades it's taken to design and build.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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