The Billion Dollar Boondoggle

Sounds like nobody will be driving through the "Big Dig" tunnel near Logan Airport anytime soon:

"...at least 60 signs of loose bolts and other potential failures were found in the same Big Dig tunnel where a motorist was crushed by falling concrete. Initial inspections by state officials revealed that some bolts had started to come out of the concrete in the eastbound connector tunnel, part of the main route to Boston's Logan Airport. Gaps also had developed between the ceiling and metal plates that help hold the massive panels in place...an undetermined number of similar problems areas were found in two adjacent tunnels, raising the possibility of a broader design or construction flaw."

The Big Dig surely must be one of the biggest taxpayer disasters in history.

Thursday Update: The Boston Globe reports that problems with the bolt fixtures have been known since testing in 1999. The scope of the problem continued to grow today with the revelation that the 60 flaws initially found have escalated to 240 possible defects identified thus far.

The Massachusetts Attorney General is considering manslaughter charges.