page_title: Massachusetts Turnpike
section_title: Ceiling collapse
hierarchical_section_title: Massachusetts Turnpike / History / Big Dig / Ceiling collapse
caption_attribution_description: Boston traffic snakes over a closed Ted Williams Tunnel entrance in Boston during rush hour on July 11, 2006.
context_page_description: The Massachusetts Turnpike is a toll highway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The turnpike begins at the New York state line in West Stockbridge, linking with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway. Spanning 138 miles along an east–west axis, it is entirely concurrent with the portion of Interstate 90 that lies within the state. The turnpike is the longest Interstate Highway in Massachusetts, while I-90 in full is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States.
  The turnpike opened in 1957, and it was designated as part of the Interstate Highway System in 1959. The original western terminus of the turnpike was located at Route 102 in West Stockbridge before I-90 had been completed in New York state. The turnpike intersects with several Interstate Highways as it traverses the state, including I-91 in West Springfield; I-291 in Chicopee; I-84 in Sturbridge; the junction of I-290 and I-395 in Auburn; and I-495 in Hopkinton. The turnpike originally ended at I-95 in Weston; it was extended to Allston in 1964, and to the Central Artery in Downtown Boston in 1965.
context_section_description: In response to a fatality caused by the collapse of the ceiling of the eastbound I-90 connector tunnel approaching the Ted Williams Tunnel on July 10, 2006, and in response to Turnpike Authority Chairman Matthew J. Amorello's refusal (at the time) to resign, Romney took legal steps to have Amorello forcibly removed as head of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. This effort culminated in Amorello's resignation on August 15, 2006. The next day, John Cogliano was sworn in as the new Chairman of the Turnpike Authority by Romney. On November 27, 2006, departing Attorney General Tom Reilly (Democrat) announced the state will launch a civil suit over the collapse of the ceiling in the Ted Williams Tunnel. The Commonwealth will be seeking over $150 million from project manager Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, builder Modern Continental Construction Co. and the manufacturer of the epoxy used to hold the ceiling bolts.
caption: Boston traffic crawling over the closed Ted Williams Tunnel entrance during rush hour, one day after the ceiling collapse
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