Big Dig Political Battle to Move to Court

BOSTON - The political battle over the fatal Big Dig tunnel collapse is moving to the courtroom as embattled Massachusetts Turnpike board Chairman Matthew Amorello fights to keep his job.

A Supreme Judicial Court justice scheduled hearings for Wednesday on a lawsuit filed by Amorello to keep his $223,000-a-year chairman's post after 12 tons of concrete ceiling panels crushed a car July 10, killing 39-year-old Milena Del Valle.

Gov. Mitt Romney has for years has been calling for new leadership at the Turnpike Authority, and has intensified his criticism since the tunnel collapse. Also before the court Wednesday is a lawsuit against Amorello filed by Romney appointees to the Turnpike board who claim Amorello has usurped their duties.

Romney plans a hearing Thursday to consider demoting Amorello.

"The governor has invented a power he does not have," said Amorello's 12-page lawsuit, filed Monday.

Romney says the ceiling panel collapse shows that Amorello is incapable of overseeing the $14.6 billion highway project. But Amorello's lawsuit contends the governor isn't able to show that his alleged mismanagement rises to the level of 'malfeasance, misfeasance, or willful neglect of duty' - a standard the court set when another governor tried to fire two members of the authority's board.

The Big Dig project, which buried Interstate 93 under downtown Boston and linked Interstate 90 to Logan International airport, took more than a decade to complete with delays and cost overruns. It has been plagued by leaks, falling debris and problems blamed on faulty construction.

After the fatal ceiling collapse, the governor took over the inspections, repair work and decisions on when to reopen the tunnels from the Turnpike Authority after filing emergency legislation.

On Tuesday, Romney said the discovery of more problems is delaying the reopening of the Big Dig tunnels. He originally had hoped that at least one of the two tunnels closed since the accident could open by this week, but now says he won't "guesstimate" on a timeline for repairs.

"What's happened is there continue to be revelation of new issues, new problems," Romney said.

The governor said one of his main concerns are three massive ceiling fans that may be held aloft with an inadequate fastening system.

Romney said his engineers are not only worried about the epoxied bolts used to attach the fans - two of which weigh 6,200 pounds and one 4,500 pounds - but the entire apparatus fastening them to the connector tunnel where Del Valle was killed.

Romney had previously talked about the fans as potential trouble spots because of the bolt-and-epoxy system, which has been the focus of investigations surrounding the collapse. The ceiling panels that crushed her car were held up by epoxied bolts.

He said the mounting list of concerns include three loose bolts in a ceiling panel in the westbound entrance to Ted Williams Tunnel, which extends Interstate 90 between downtown Boston and Logan International Airport, and the discovery of another location in the tunnel network where the epoxy-and-bolt system was used.

Big Dig Political Battle to Move to Court

BOSTON - The political battle over the fatal Big Dig tunnel collapse is moving to the courtroom as embattled Massachusetts Turnpike board Chairman Matthew Amorello fights to keep his job.

A Supreme Judicial Court justice scheduled hearings for Wednesday on a lawsuit filed by Amorello to keep his $223,000-a-year chairman's post after 12 tons of concrete ceiling panels crushed a car July 10, killing 39-year-old Milena Del Valle.

Gov. Mitt Romney has for years has been calling for new leadership at the Turnpike Authority, and has intensified his criticism since the tunnel collapse. Also before the court Wednesday is a lawsuit against Amorello filed by Romney appointees to the Turnpike board who claim Amorello has usurped their duties.

Romney plans a hearing Thursday to consider demoting Amorello.

"The governor has invented a power he does not have," said Amorello's 12-page lawsuit, filed Monday.

Romney says the ceiling panel collapse shows that Amorello is incapable of overseeing the $14.6 billion highway project. But Amorello's lawsuit contends the governor isn't able to show that his alleged mismanagement rises to the level of 'malfeasance, misfeasance, or willful neglect of duty' - a standard the court set when another governor tried to fire two members of the authority's board.

The Big Dig project, which buried Interstate 93 under downtown Boston and linked Interstate 90 to Logan International airport, took more than a decade to complete with delays and cost overruns. It has been plagued by leaks, falling debris and problems blamed on faulty construction.

After the fatal ceiling collapse, the governor took over the inspections, repair work and decisions on when to reopen the tunnels from the Turnpike Authority after filing emergency legislation.

On Tuesday, Romney said the discovery of more problems is delaying the reopening of the Big Dig tunnels. He originally had hoped that at least one of the two tunnels closed since the accident could open by this week, but now says he won't "guesstimate" on a timeline for repairs.

"What's happened is there continue to be revelation of new issues, new problems," Romney said.

The governor said one of his main concerns are three massive ceiling fans that may be held aloft with an inadequate fastening system.

Romney said his engineers are not only worried about the epoxied bolts used to attach the fans - two of which weigh 6,200 pounds and one 4,500 pounds - but the entire apparatus fastening them to the connector tunnel where Del Valle was killed.

Romney had previously talked about the fans as potential trouble spots because of the bolt-and-epoxy system, which has been the focus of investigations surrounding the collapse. The ceiling panels that crushed her car were held up by epoxied bolts.

He said the mounting list of concerns include three loose bolts in a ceiling panel in the westbound entrance to Ted Williams Tunnel, which extends Interstate 90 between downtown Boston and Logan International Airport, and the discovery of another location in the tunnel network where the epoxy-and-bolt system was used.