Update 1-U.S. arrests 6 for Boston "Big Dig" concrete fraud

[AngryAmish]

<http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2006-05-04T211120Z_01_N04378839_RTRIDST_0_CRIME-HIGHWAY-UDATE-1.XML>


"BOSTON, May 4 (Reuters) - Six men who supplied concrete to Boston's infamous "Big Dig" road project were arrested on Thursday and accused of delivering sub-standard materials to the biggest public works project in U.S. history, officials said.

The men, who were managers at Aggregate Industries, face a string of federal charges for falsifying paperwork to hide the fact they delivered old batches of concrete to build the underground roadway, the U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts and the state's Attorney General said.

Each man faces 135 counts of mail fraud, conspiracy to make false claims against the United States, and conspiracy to commit highway project fraud and mail fraud."

The taxpayers get screwed again. This is going to have to be fixed. The federal government paid for a lot if not most of this project.

No more. Not another federal dollar for Boston. You have soiled your own nest and now you must lie in it.

[benburch]

1. Does this mean the damned thing is likely to collapse? nt

[Lerkfish]

3. i"m not an engineer, but I'd say its risky. the whole point of pouring

concrete fresh is that it becomes cohesive structurally. If you use discarded concrete, you set up a non-homogenous structure that would would easily rupture at the stratification between old and new concrete.

at least, that's my understanding. Old concrete would be okay for say, paving, after being groundup or as flagstones, but never in anything that required structural integrity.

These guys should also be charged with criminal negligence, since if never found out, the big dig would certainly have collapsed down the road.

[Daphne08]

6. How stupid could these guys be?

Did they think no one would ever find out?

I don't understand these (engineering) things, but geez, even I can see this was just plain dumb!

[kurth]

2. It's a huge federal welfare project for the mob

[gristy]

4. How hard would it have been to have an inspector at the plant,

recording the number on the truck and the time it mixes a fresh batch, and another inspector at the pour. If a truck shows up past its "expiration" date, you send it home.

Actually, you need two inspectors at each site, keeping independent records.

[skids]

5. You'd think they would have learned...

...from the UMASS Boston parking garage debacle, now wouldn't you? :eyes:

[AngryAmish]

7. What happened at UMass?

[skids]

9. Well, the guy who sold the concrete is in jail...

...IIRC. Right now, the facade is crumbling off most of the buildings, and there are "temporary" support poles installed in the garage to render it "safe". Safe is a relative term because I hear at one point someone's tire went straight through the floor.

[gulfcoastliberal]

8. Wasn't this a Bechtel project?

nt

[Norquist Nemesis]

10. What a memory!!!

googled it

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/11/23/BUGHR9VSA71.DTL&type=business

Its reputation on the line, Bechtel Corp. sought Monday to quiet criticism of its management of Boston's Big Dig, an immense underground highway project that Massachusetts officials say is riddled with leaks.

San Francisco's Bechtel and its Big Dig partner, Parsons Brinckerhoff, issued a five-page statement arguing that the leaks were anticipated, aren't as serious as previously reported and can be repaired in a matter of months.

The partnership also said the cost of repair would "largely" be paid by the individual construction companies responsible for the areas where problems occur.