Posted on 07/13/2006 4:13:44 AM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
Inspectors have found at least 60 faulty bolt fixtures that supported the ceiling of the Interstate 90 connector tunnel in the same section where concrete ceiling panels fell and crushed Milena Del Valle, state officials said yesterday.
Though the tunnel passed at least one previous safety inspection, the faulty bolt fixtures -- which Turnpike Authority officials yesterday called ``suspect" and ``compromised" -- went unnoticed until the 38-year-old's death Monday night spurred an unprecedented criminal investigation of the Big Dig's safety.
State officials were uncertain whether the faulty bolt fixtures found in the approximately 50 ceiling panels along 200 feet of the eastbound connector tunnel might have led to similar failures. The 60 potentially dangerous bolt fixtures make up about 10 percent of all bolt fixtures in that section.
Turnpike officials said there are probably more compromised bolt fixtures in the ceilings above the westbound and high-occupancy vehicle lanes of the connector tunnel.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Fyi..
If they were A-325 structural bolts or Tension Control Bots there's going to be a paper trail a mile long right down to who twisted the wrench.
L
This is Boston. There will be no consequences to anyone coming anywhere close to fitting the crime, Mitt Romney's hissy fit notwithstanding.
And, BTW, look for the UNION label.
Reilly is a disgrace: I gather he's subpoenaing all the documents, no doubt to "lose" those that implicate any of his friends. I really don't think he can be trusted with them.
And manslaughter charges -- yeah, he secured the "cime scene." What does he think, a disaffected worker climbed up and loosened the bolt? The last thing Reilly wants is to uncover all the corruption, waste, payoffs, etc. that will rock their cosy little boat. He was just on with Tod Feinberg, saying the investigation is "not political at all." Indeed. He apparently doesn't know how to answer a direct question.
Anyone want to guess what the chances are he'll go on Howie Carr's show? (Would be interesting to hear, though!)
This wasn't a tragedy... it was a CONFORMATION... of what was known all along. Two-in-the-cap... is the only justice needed for Matt Amorello.
Had the panels been made of, say, wood, then they would have stayed up just fine.
After all those years of working on the Big Dig, and all the Billions spent on it, it was politically necessary to get the thing opened. So they knew the problem and said , maybe it will hold up for a while, then they did nothing to fix it and forgot about it till the poor lady was killed.
so, whos going to jail
Okay. Bearing in mind, please, that you're speaking to one wholly and woefully ignorant in all things of a construction/engineering-type nature: could you explain the why behind that thought, so that even a dullard like myself might readily comprehend...? :)
If epoxy was involved in the etiology, questions would also include
who cleaned the area, who mixed the epoxy, etc.
It would not matter anyway since Reilly already accepted money from all the usual suspects.
In Boston, bolts and hardware which were involved in the paroxysmal murder of Milena Delvalle, 38,
by shoddy substandard construction, are first identified and then removed
from the crime scene without evidence of a "tag and bag" or even gloves to attempt to preserve fingerprints.
Do you have any idea why they used epoxy instead of a Hilti type anchor?
I've seen Hiltis tested to destruction (with a hydraulic press) and they don't come out without blowing out a cone of concrete with them, with the tip of the cone at the end of the bolt. Even a small one take multiple tons of force to pull it out.
They were marked as A325 when in fact they were just pot steel or Grade 2 bolts.
The Feds got involved and laws were passed. Now every single bolt marked A325 sold has to have a paperwork pedigree attached to it from the factory, to the distributor, to the end user.
In many cases the steel erector will even know which lot of bolts was used by which steel worker.
I've been out of the construction fastener biz for over a decade but I'm damn sure the laws haven't been changed.
L
That was simple, straightforward and instructive -- perfect. Thanks! :)
But I have seen epoxy anchors which actually exceed the tensile strength of the concrete they're put into.
Also friction type anchors don't generally do well in overhead applications IIRC.
I'm pinging MineralMan to the thread as IIRC he's some kind of engineer. I were merely a nut and bolt salesguy a long time ago.
But this much I do know. Somebody here humped the bunk big time and more than one person is going to go to prison for this one.
Plus I have a feeling this tunnel will be collecting tolls soon so that Boston can pay off the legal judgement this womans family is going to be collecting.
L
If I understand correctly, those panels weren't needed for any structural purpose. If that's the case, I wonder why the heck they didn't just use ceramic tiles, like the ones used in a lot of other tunnels.
So Vote fooorrrr.....the Union Label......
L
It would be interesting if that was the finding of a court of law, wouldn't it??????
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.