Boston's Big Dig springing leaks

BOSTON, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Shoddy maintenance allowed the number of serious leaks in Boston's Big Dig tunnels to rise to 237 last month, records indicate.

There are more than 600 leaks in the $15 billion project, which miles of the city's elevated steel highways underground, The Boston Globe reported Sunday.

The leaks are troubling because the tunnels sit amid the city's water table, the newspaper said, and some of the project's steel girders are already showing signs of rust -- possibly a sign that maintaining the tunnels will be much more costly and difficult than expected.

By the time project contractor Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff handed maintenance of the tunnels over to the Turnpike Authority, the number of the most serious leaks had been reduced to three, the Globe reported, based on its analysis of the authority's records.

By last month, that number was back up to 237.

The authority defended its performance, saying in a statement the project was "riddled with problems" when it took over maintenance.

A full-time engineer has been assigned to deal with leaks, a spokesman said, and the number of contracting crews working on them will be increased from one to five or six.