1,400 Items of Concern Found in Boston Big Dig Tunnels

More than 1,400 items of concern have been found in Big Dig tunnels, Gov. Mitt Romney said Monday during an afternoon briefing on the tunnel inspections.

NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that the governor said that officials are testing a system to fix the problems. If the process works, a portion of the Interstate 90 connector tunnel could reopen by the end of the week.

"All of the bolts, all of the connectors, we believe, are of concern. Our pull test results suggested that we can't have a high-degree of reliability on any of the epoxy bolt hangers," Romney said.

There are 1,146 bolt hangers in the I-90 connector tunnel and ramp system. Officials said that all will be reinforced.

Earlier, Sen. Ted Kennedy and Sen. John Kerry spoke out Monday about the investigation after Romney debriefed officials on the steps being taken to ensure the safety of the tunnels.

Kennedy said that it is unlikely that the federal government will give any money to Massachusetts for tunnel inspections, which are expected to cost millions.

"When this whole project was developed a number of years ago, there was a capping in terms of the total project that was made, and I don't think there is a likelihood that that will be exceeded," Kennedy said.

Kennedy and Kerry endorsed Romney's plans to oversee the tunnel repairs.

"There's clearly a failure with respect to the design at certain levels, oversight at certain levels and accountability in the past," Kerry said. "I am impressed with the plan that was laid out for us today by the governor and the team. I think it is a sensible plan. Safety has to come first."

The I-90 connector tunnel, where Melina Del Valle, 38, of Jamaica Plain, was killed last week by falling ceiling panels, and a tunnel ramp to Interstate 93 remained closed. The tragedy sparked major state and federal investigations into the safety of all the Big Dig tunnels and the entire metro-Boston highway system.

Massachusetts delegates promised to work with federal highway officials in the investigative phase. Officials are pushing the Commerce Department for an oversight investigation.

"I want accountability. I believe we ought to have accountability, and I believe every citizen in this state wants accountability," Kerry said.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Tom Reilly said that construction engineers disagreed years ago about whether the design of the tunnel could hold the weight of the panels. Reilly said that there's a paper trail showing that tunnel builders squabbled for years.

"It was back and forth between the designer, the installer, but the project and the Bechtel company that was overseeing was aware of what was going on," Reilly said.

The ramp closing will send thousands more vehicles onto local roadways, which is not good news for local residents. Detours are well-marked, but officials warned Boston commuters to prepare for the long haul.

According to the Boston Police Department, the following detoured route will be in effect immediately until further notice:

All traffic from I-90 West/The Ted Williams Tunnel must take Exit 25 towards South Boston.

To access I-90 West and I-93 South, take a left on Congress Street, left on West Service Road and right onto the South Boston Bypass Road. To I-93 South take a left onto southbound Frontage Road to the I-93 South on-ramp. To I-90 West take a right onto northbound Frontage Road to the I-90 West on-ramp. To access I-93 North take a left on Congress Street, right on East Service Road, left on Seaport Blvd. to the I-93 North on-ramp to Atlantic Avenue.

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