Apr 14, 2006 7:45 am US/Eastern
Big Dig Tunnel Security In Question
by Christina Hager
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
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There are questions about Big Dig Tunnel security.
CBS
There are questions about Big Dig tunnel security -- specifically who's gaining access to the tunnels through supposedly locked emergency doors.
They have those exits above I-93 so drivers can get out if there's an emergency. But they are not meant to be opened from the street.
Only CBS4 was there Thursday night when police moved in to secure them.
The doors in question are near Chinatown and South Station. CBS4 was tipped off to the possible security risk by an office worker.
The door is now locked. The employee who spoke with CBS4's Christina Hager said he has a view of the area in question. He said he's been watching the door that has been unlocked for days, and has reported it to police repeatedly. But it wasn't until CBS4 camera crews showed up that it was locked up and guarded by a Boston police officer.
How secure is our pricey new artery tunnel?
One man walked right in off the street, through an emergency exit, leading to Chinatown -- right down to the tunnel.
"I don't know who they are, but they're definitely not construction workers," said an employee who works in a nearby office building.
When CBS4 arrived at the scene, they saw a Central Artery worker escorting two more people out. Shortly after that, a police officer arrived, checked it out and left.
Al Shahan, a Central Artery worker, said the door is usually locked, but someone forgot to lock it.
Hager opened the door herself and could right in, even after seeing a Central Artery worker fumbling with the key.
The office worker claims he called 9-11 repeatedly. But there may have been a communication problem, because the spokesperson with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which oversees the Central Artery, tells CBS4 they were never told about his calls. In fact, they said they didn't know about his calls until he called the Mass Pike directly. Now, they say, the problem is taken care of.
There are dozens of escape routes inside the Big Dig tunnel system. And according to a report from The Boston Globe last year, 21 of them lead to the street.
CBS4 will stay on top of this story to make sure they remain secure.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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