Topic: Milena Del Valle

On July 10, 2006, a concrete ceiling panel weighing 3 tons (2722 kg) and measuring 20 by 40 ft (6.1 by 12.2 m) fell in Boston's Ted Williams Tunnel. The panel fell on a car traveling on the two-lane ramp connecting northbound I-93 to eastbound I-90 in South Boston, killing a passenger and injuring the driver. The collapse caused a section of the tunnel to be closed for almost a full year.

Calling the area a crime scene, Attorney General Tom Reilly issued subpoenas to those involved in the construction and testing of the tunnels. Governor Mitt Romney returned from a vacation in New Hampshire to view the condition of the tunnels. The east ends of the westbound and eastbound connector tunnels were designed and constructed in the same manner. Neither end of tunnel was designed for a hanging ceiling system; in fact, the ends of the connector tunnels had been constructed much earlier than the remaining tunnel sections (which incorporated an embedded ceiling hanger connection in the design) to allow for the construction of the D Street bridge above. The collapse of the ceiling structure began with the simultaneous creep-type failure of several anchors embedded in epoxy in the tunnels roof slab. Each of the panel's intersecting connection points consist of several individual anchorages into the roof slab concrete. The failure of a group of anchors set off a chain reaction which caused other adjacent connection groups to creep then fail, sending 12 tons of concrete to the roadway below.

The Governor ordered the closure of connecting roads that lead into the Ted Williams Tunnel and several ramps to the westbound section from within the city. These closures caused dramatic overflow congestion throughout the city as motorists sought alternate routes to and from Logan International Airport and several other key arterials. Beyond the difficulties posed within the city, the Ted Williams Tunnel links the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 93 to Logan, so this also blocked a key inbound link for airport travelers coming from outside the city, forcing them to seek alternate routes or follow poorly marked detours that wind through the city, often resulting in additional travel times of one hour or more.