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Woman Crushed by Concrete in Boston Tunnel
The ceiling panels in the affected tunnel were erected in 1999. The steel tiebacks holding them were bolted to the tunnel roof overhead.
Amorello said the contractor was Modern Continental. Representatives of that company and project manager Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment Tuesday.
![]() Firefighters inspect a section of ceiling in the Interstate 90 connector tunnel eastbound through Boston that collapsed onto the roadway and killed a woman passenger in a car. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (Michael Dwyer - AP)
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"Any responsible party will be held accountable for what happened," Amorello said. "This is an unacceptable, horrible tragedy."
The $14 billion Big Dig highway project, which buried Interstate 93 beneath downtown and extended the Massachusetts Turnpike to Logan Airport, has been criticized for construction problems and cost overruns. There have been water leaks and at least one incident when dirt and debris from an air shaft fell onto cars.
In May, prosecutors charged six current and former employees of a concrete supplier with fraud for allegedly concealing that some concrete delivered to the Big Dig was not freshly mixed.
Amorello said preliminary investigation shows that the quality of the concrete was not to blame for Monday's accident.
Christy Mihos, an independent candidate for governor and former member of the Turnpike Authority Board and agency critic, called the accident "my worst nightmare come true."
Mihos urged the governor to seize control of the Turnpike's day-to-day operations.
The victims were identified by State Police as newlyweds Milena Delvalle, 38, a native of Costa Rica, and Angel Delvalle, 46. Angel Delvalle was treated for minor injuries.
The two were headed to Logan Airport to pick up his brother and sister-in-law, who had been vacationing in his native Puerto Rico.
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Associated Press writers Jay Lindsay, Glen Johnson and Steve LeBlanc contributed to this report.
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