Did 2 ton, CONCRETE hanging tiles cost more than a conventional tunnel ceiling? Was it simply a way to present a higher bill to the Turnpike Authority? How else can one explain such a ridiculous design?

I suspected they were cheating us, but I thought, at least, that someone was watching to see that the overpriced construction met basic safety design standards. That 'someone' would have been the Turnpike Authority.

Matt Amorello, whether he inherited this issue or not, is where the buck stops. He has no boss, a status that he has fought to maintain. To listen to him promise to conduct full investigations and make promises that the rest of the system is still safe is beyond insulting to the general public.

People don't want a canned damage-control strategy. Or promises. We want a mea culpa -- for a start.

-Adam has the best roundup of coverage and opinion on the subject over at UH. Blue Mass is all over the political fallout as is Jon Keller, Dan Kennedy and Jay Fitz. Also check this blog search for "Big Dig" on Google, found via Tim at Boston Crazy Driving, who also offers some interesting observations.