Editing Big Dig (section)

=== Fatal ceiling collapse ===
{{Main|Big Dig ceiling collapse}}

[[File:Ted Williams Tunnel Boston (0208).jpg|thumb|300px|Boston traffic crawls over a closed [[Ted Williams Tunnel]] entrance in Boston during [[rush hour]] on July 11, 2006, the day after the collapse.]]
A fatal accident raised safety questions and closed part of the project for most of the summer of 2006. On July 10, 2006, concrete ceiling panels and debris weighing {{convert|26|ST|t|abbr=off}} and measuring {{convert|20|by|40|ft|m|abbr=on}} fell on a car traveling on the two-lane ramp connecting northbound I-93 to eastbound [[Massachusetts Turnpike|I-90]] in [[South Boston]], killing Milena Del Valle, who was a passenger, and injuring her husband, Angel Del Valle, who was driving.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite news| title=Triumph, Tragedy Mark Boston's Big Dig Project| url=http://www.cegltd.com/story.asp?story=8751&headline=Triumph,%20Tragedy%20Mark%20Boston%E2%80%99s%20Big%20Dig%20Project| publisher=Construction Equipment Guide| date=June 6, 2007| access-date=December 10, 2007| archive-date=October 6, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006135142/http://cegltd.com/story.asp?story=8751&headline=Triumph,%20Tragedy%20Mark%20Boston%E2%80%99s%20Big%20Dig%20Project| url-status=dead}}</ref>

Immediately following the fatal ceiling collapse, Governor [[Mitt Romney]] ordered a "stem-to-stern" safety audit conducted by the engineering firm of [[Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.]] to look for additional areas of risk. Said Romney: "We simply cannot live in a setting where a project of this scale has the potential of threatening human life, as has already been seen".<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/08/17/governor_names_ill_firm_to_lead_big_dig_audit/ | title=Governor names Ill. firm to lead Big Dig audit | work=[[The Boston Globe]] | last=Mishra | first=Raja | date=August 17, 2006 | access-date=April 1, 2009 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516005249/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/08/17/governor_names_ill_firm_to_lead_big_dig_audit/ | archive-date=May 16, 2008 }}</ref>

The collapse and closure of the tunnel greatly snarled traffic in the city. The resulting traffic jams are cited as contributing to the death of another person, a heart attack victim who died en route to Boston Medical Center when his ambulance was caught in one such traffic jam two weeks after the collapse.<ref name="BostonHerald">{{cite news|url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/591773/tunnel_horror__the_emergency/index.html |title=Man dies in tunnel backup |newspaper=Boston Herald |date=July 27, 2006 |access-date=August 8, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114065351/http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/591773/tunnel_horror__the_emergency/index.html |archive-date=January 14, 2009 }}</ref> On September 1, 2006, one eastbound lane of the connector tunnel was re-opened to traffic.<ref name="MassTurnpike=TurnpikeNews">{{Cite news| url=http://www.massturnpike.com/user-cgi/news.cgi?dbkey=241&type=Press%20Release&src=news | title=Turnpike News | publisher=Massachusetts Turnpike Authority | date=September 1, 2006 | access-date=December 3, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071016234818/http://massturnpike.com/user-cgi/news.cgi?dbkey=241&type=Press+Release&src=news|archive-date=October 16, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Elizabeth | last=Taurasi | title=Boston's Big Dig – One of Engineering's Biggest Mistakes? | url=http://www.designnews.com/article/CA6357443.html | publisher=Design News | date=July 28, 2006 | access-date=August 11, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813162611/http://www.designnews.com/article/CA6357443.html | archive-date=August 13, 2006 | url-status=dead }} See WikiNews article [[n:Portion of ceiling collapses in Boston tunnel|here]].</ref>

Following extensive inspections and repairs, Interstate 90 east- and westbound lanes reopened in early January 2007.<ref name="SeattlePi">{{Cite news| work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer | url=http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110AP_Big_Dig.html | title=Mass. tunnel ceiling inspections ordered| publisher=SeattlePi.com | date=January 17, 2007 | access-date=January 7, 2006 }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The final piece of the road network, a high occupancy vehicle lane connecting Interstate 93 north to the [[Ted Williams Tunnel]], reopened on June 1, 2007.

On July 10, 2007, after a lengthy investigation, the [[National Transportation Safety Board]] found that [[epoxy]] glue used to hold the roof in place during construction was not appropriate for long-term bonding.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2007/070710b.htm |title=Safety Board Determines Cause of Boston's Big Dig Tunnel Ceiling Collapse Last Year |publisher=ntsb.gov |date=October 5, 2007 |access-date=July 12, 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016221352/http://ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2007/070710b.htm |archive-date=October 16, 2007 }}</ref> This was determined to be the cause of the roof collapse. The Power-Fast Epoxy Adhesive used in the installation was designed for short-term loading, such as wind or earthquake loads, not long-term loading, such as the weight of a panel.<ref>{{Cite news |first= Rodrique |last= Ngowi |url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/big-dig-victims-family-settles-for-6m/ |title= Big Dig Victim's Family Settles For $6M |agency= Associated Press |work= CBS News |date= December 25, 2007 |access-date= December 25, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| first=Casey | last=Ross | url= https://www.bostonherald.com/2007/08/08/epoxy-company-hit-with-big-dig-indictment | title=Epoxy company hit with Big Dig indictment | work= Boston Herald |date=August 8, 2007 | access-date= December 25, 2007}}</ref><ref name=Power-Fast>{{Cite news| url= http://www.powers.com/product_08402.html| title= Power-Fast+ Epoxy Adhesive System| publisher= powers.com| access-date= July 12, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070618031918/http://www.powers.com/product_08402.html| archive-date= June 18, 2007| url-status= dead}}</ref>

[[W.W. Grainger|Powers Fasteners]], the makers of the adhesive, revised their product specifications on May 15, 2007, to increase the [[safety factor]] from 4 to 10 for all of their epoxy products intended for use in overhead applications. The safety factor on Power-Fast Epoxy was increased from 4 to 16.<ref name="Power-Fast" /> On December 24, 2007, the Del Valle family announced they had reached a settlement with Powers Fasteners that would pay the family $6 million.<ref name="globe settlement">{{Cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/traffic/bigdig/articles/2007/12/24/settlement_reached_in_big_dig_death/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed1|title=Settlement reached in Big Dig death|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=December 24, 2007|access-date=December 25, 2007|first=Megan|last=Woolhouse|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523100452/http://www.boston.com/news/traffic/bigdig/articles/2007/12/24/settlement_reached_in_big_dig_death/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed1|archive-date=May 23, 2011}}</ref> In December 2008, Powers Fasteners agreed to pay $16 million to the state to settle manslaughter charges.<ref>{{Cite news
 | first = Sean
 | last = Murphy
 | title = Manslaughter charges dismissed in Big Dig collapse
 | url = https://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/12/manslaughter_ch_1.html
 | access-date = December 17, 2008
| work=The Boston Globe
| date=December 17, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081218164307/http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/12/manslaughter_ch_1.html| archive-date= December 18, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>