MASSACHUSETTS Big Dig tunnels are unreliable, says governor

Two tunnels have been closed indefinitely.
BOSTON (AP) -- Gov. Mitt Romney said Monday that tests show more than 1,100 bolt assemblies that used epoxy and more than 300 other areas in a Big Dig connector tunnel where the ceiling collapsed are unreliable.
Romney, speaking at a Statehouse news conference where he drew charts and diagrams of the trouble spots, said all will have to be reinforced.
"In grabbing ahold of these bolts and pulling on them with excess force, they're letting go ... at lower pressures than they were designed to handle," Romney said.
"That suggests that this epoxy system is not working ... and for that reason we can't count on it," he said.
Last week, days after 12 tons of ceiling panels came loose and fell on a car, crushing a passenger, the governor announced that inspections had found at least 242 points where bolts were separating from the tunnel roof.
Two Big Dig tunnels have since been closed and Romney has not yet cleared the way for them to reopen.
The $14.6 billion Big Dig -- the most expensive highway project in U.S. history -- buried a highway network that used to slice through the city, replacing it with a series of tunnels.
The project has also been plagued by leaks, falling debris, cost overruns, delays and problems linked to faulty construction.
Attorney General Tom Reilly, who is considering filing involuntary manslaughter charges in the ceiling collapse, said Monday that investigators had discovered documents showing there was a "substantial dispute" over whether the design of the tunnel was adequate to hold the weight of the three-ton ceiling panels.
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