Memo warned of ceiling collapse

[Patters]

http://www.boston.com/news/traffic/b...ling_collapse/

The on-site safety officer for the Interstate 90 connector directly warned his superiors at contractor Modern Continental Construction Co. that the tunnel ceiling could collapse because the bolts could not support the heavy concrete panels, and feared for his conscience if someone died as a result.
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John J. Keaveney -- in a starkly-worded two-page memo sent in 1999 to Robert Coutts, senior project manager for Modern Continental -- wrote that he could not ``comprehend how this structure can withhold the test of time."

Keaveney added: ``Should any innocent State Worker or member of the Public be seriously injured or even worse killed as a result, I feel that this would be something that would reflect Mentally and Emotionally upon me, and all who are trying to construct a quality Project."

***

More corporate ineptitude and corruption. Bring back more oversight and regulation of corporations to prevent this type of incompetence. Let's hope Angel Deville finds a trial lawyer who can so those contractors for enough money that they learn a lesson. I hope he gets $100 million.

[DarrylS]

This stuff should make for interesting depositions when this case comes up for trial... looks more and more like there is an interesting paper trail of liability.

[IcyPatriot]

Hey Patters...where you been...hanging out at the Kennedy compound again...advising the Kennedy's so they can speak coherently and with purpose? How are we going to bash them if you keep helping them?

Just kidding of course...you obviously know how to enjoy the summer. You tend to disappear alot...I envy you, I have never been able to cure myself of work-aholicism.

Sad that Amorello has held his job for so long. Many other culprits of course, but he is the man in charge of keeping the public safe...I wonder what his golf handicap is...probably in the single digits.

[QuiGon]

Originally Posted by Patters

More corporate ineptitude and corruption. Bring back more oversight and regulation of corporations to prevent this type of incompetence. Let's hope Angel Deville finds a trial lawyer who can so those contractors for enough money that they learn a lesson. I hope he gets $100 million.

Yeah..!! Let's stick it to those eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil corporations and bring in more politicians and public workers - that'll solve the problem..!!

[Pujo]

The government is just another corporation. The contractors are no more (or less) guilty than the state. It took a private sector/public sector partnership to screw up this badly. It's not a secret, people joke about it at the watercooler: the government is completely inept. It's when stuff like this happens that everyone stops laughing.

[Patters]

Originally Posted by QuiGon

Yeah..!! Let's stick it to those eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil corporations and bring in more politicians and public workers - that'll solve the problem..!!

Wasn't it you whose knee-jerk response to the tragedy was to blame the union workers? Hmmm. Why are you sucking up to the big corporation that apparently instituted a system that allowed safety recommendations to go unheeded? Why do you have a lower standard for white collar workers than for blue collar ones?

[IcyPatriot]

Originally Posted by Pujo

The government is just another corporation. The contractors are no more (or less) guilty than the state. It took a private sector/public sector partnership to screw up this badly. It's not a secret, people joke about it at the watercooler: the government is completely inept. It's when stuff like this happens that everyone stops laughing.

Exactly...anyone in business knows how this all happened. Requests for $$$ kept coming in and the politicians rubber stamped it all because they had other things to do like play golf and have lunch or bang their Ho's at the hotels.

Projects that involve public safety should always have an oversight group. Not to say that's the solution...but better than depending on lazy politicians.

[QuiGon]

Originally Posted by Patters

Wasn't it you whose knee-jerk response to the tragedy was to blame the union workers? Hmmm. Why are you sucking up to the big corporation that apparently instituted a system that allowed safety recommendations to go unheeded? Why do you have a lower standard for white collar workers than for blue collar ones?

I am not sucking up to anyone. I have stated repeatedly that there is plenty of blame to go around to everyone in this debacle. From politicians to civil servants to engineers to corrupt corporate management to the lazy-ass union workers; Everyone was on the take, everyone was stealing money, everyone was doing shoddy workmanship, everyone was doing as little as they possibly could but charging as much as they possibly could.

That's how things work in the Commonwealth. It isn't like this in other states (and it wasn't always like this here). But that's just a reality of the corrupt infrastructure of the most liberal state in the country.

[Pujo]

Originally Posted by QuiGon

I am not sucking up to anyone. I have stated repeatedly that there is plenty of blame to go around to everyone in this debacle. From politicians to civil servants to engineers to corrupt corporate management to the lazy-ass union workers; Everyone was on the take, everyone was stealing money, everyone was doing shoddy workmanship, everyone was doing as little as they possibly could but charging as much as they possibly could.

That's how things work in the Commonwealth. It isn't like this in other states (and it wasn't always like this here). But that's just a reality of the corrupt infrastructure of the most liberal state in the country.

We *ARE* one of the more corrupt states, but I have friends who live all over the country and it's pretty much the same everywhere, it's just more in the open here.

[QuiGon]

Originally Posted by Pujo

We *ARE* one of the more corrupt states, but I have friends who live all over the country and it's pretty much the same everywhere, it's just more in the open here.

Bullcrap. I drove through the big tunnel in downtown Baltimore and I saw a beatifully designed construct with tiles all the way to the ceiling and people driving through (presumably) without being in fear for their lives. I've also driven the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Something like that could never be successfully built in Massachusetts.