Jan 13, 2007 11:16 pm US/Eastern
Big Dig's I-90 Connector Tunnel To Reopen Sunday
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
Gov. Deval Patrick says the I-90 Connector tunnel will reopen on Sunday.
The Big Dig tunnel was closed in July after the death of 39-year-old Milena Del Valle, who died when concrete ceiling panels fell on her car.
In late December, the I-90 westbound tunnel that connects the Ted Williams Tunnel to the Mass Pike reopened to traffic after federal inspectors approved repairs made to the structure.
Workers have spent months testing and reinforcing bolts that keep the ceiling panels suspended above the roadway. The connector tunnel was reopened after undergoing state and federal officials.
Ramp L will not open for a couple of weeks, Patrick said. And the HOV lane in the eastbound tunnel will remain closed until the springtime.
"I appreciate and thank all those who helped to repair and secure this important part of Central Artery and Tunnel project," Patrick said in a press release. "Now our attention must turn to holding accountable those who gave us substandard work in the first place."
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.
Repairs performed on the Big Dig since Del Valle's death will cost an estimated $34 million, according to officials. State officials have said they believe Big Dig contractors will have to pay for the repairs.
(© 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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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