I drive through the central artery tunnel of Boston’s infamous Big Dig every so often, when visiting my friend Morris, or seeing my retinologist. SamJay uses the Big Dig every workday.
The Boston Globe has been good about staying on top of the project’s many failings, most of which seem to be due to incompetence and/or corruption, rather than inherent engineering challenges. Today’s Globe has the story of how an alleged lack of attention to detail in the design of guard rails has resulted in deaths and dismemberment.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/02/14/the_big_digs_deadly_safety_rails/