Too Tall For The “Tip”O’Neill Tunnel

MA State Police cited the driver for being over height and over width.
https://cdllife.com/2018/caught-camera-big-rig-bangs-oneill-tunnel-ceiling/

Now,mind you,about 1 1/2 miles before you reach the tunnel there are a set overheight chains set up on I-93 that warns drivers to get off at exits before you reach the tunnel(sort of a “last chance”escape route). How this driver failed to pay attention to that is beyond me because that container he was hauling is crunched up real good.
When I worked at Logan Airport (barely a mile from the tunnel)there was a truck that either hit the tunnel or an overhead sign in the tunnel at least once a week. Anyway you look at it, the fines State Police issue aren’t going to be cheap.
Since the container was being transported from Canada to Rhode Island maybe someone forgot to convert from meters to feet/inches. Even they were better off bypassing Boston and taking I-95/Route 128.

 

Actually that was the Ted Williams Tunnel (I-90/Mass Pike) that had those issues but the O’Neill Tunnel does have its fair share of issues(water leaks in particular). The trucking company could try to blame it on the low ceiling tile, but given that the accident was caught on tape from start to finish I doubt it will hold water. And that trucking company’s legal department better get ready to lawyer up, especially since a couple cars were damaged by debris when that container hit the ceiling.

 

They used a substandard epoxy to hold those panels together.The whole tunnel system was poorly designed to begin with. That’s why they still have so many problems with plugging leaks and what not. Originally the Central Artery project (its official name) was originally supposed to take 7-10 years and cost $1 billion dollars at the most. 16 years (and a whopping $14.6 billion dollars later) they’re still plugging leaks!!