Tunnel collapse

last updated 8 January 2015

Boston

A 40-foot section of the ceiling of Boston’s Ted Williams Tunnel fell on a car passing below this week, crushing to death a 38-year-old female passenger. Her husband, who was driving, managed to escape by crawling out a window. The tunnel is part of Boston’s troubled Big Dig, a $14 billion project that has been plagued by cost overruns and safety problems. A 2005 investigation revealed that leaking water had damaged the tunnel’s ceiling, and in May, a contractor was indicted for using substandard concrete. Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Director Matthew Amorello called the collapse “a tragedy of the highest proportions,” but insisted the tunnel was structurally sound. Other officials, though, called for Amorello’s resignation and demanded a criminal investigation.