Mass. to sue over Big Dig ceiling fall

BOSTON, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A lawsuit will name seven companies involved in the design and building of the Big Dig tunnel ceiling, the Massachusetts attorney general announced Monday.

Thomas Reilly, at a news conference, said the complaint would be filed Tuesday, the Boston Globe reported.

The Big Dig, which put an elevated highway underground, was one of the largest urban construction projects ever. But it was plagued by delays and cost overruns, and, last summer, a ceiling panel in a connector tunnel fell, killing a Boston woman, Milena del Valle.

A state official told the Globe that the lawsuit seeks $150 million from Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, which managed the project. Other defendants include Modern Continental Construction Co., which built the ceiling.

"Our goal always was to get answers for the Del Valle family and to get to the bottom of what went so tragically wrong," the official said.