Yes I do check my e-mail.
Here is a video sent to me by someone who prefers to remain anonymous.
It may be the longest video that I have ever posted on PRrag, but it is an interesting commentary on public policy and is generating quite a buzz on YouTube. The bulk of the video lists off various public comments made by Andrew Natsios, a former Massachusetts state legislator. Natsios was in charge of the Big Dig for a period of time before becoming a US Agency for International Development administrator where he found himself giving contracts to Bechtel, just as he did with the Big Dig.
What is a boondoggle? Dictionary.com defines it as “An unnecessary or wasteful project or activity.” The video doesn’t cover the late tragedy of the Big Dig tunnel ceiling collapse, but it shows previous problems and eludes to political cronyism.
It is worth a watch.
I spoke with the anonymous documentary filmmaker, a newspaper employee, recently.
After Natsios popped up on Nightline I began investigating him to see what kind of person could go on national television and mislead the country so blatantly about tens of billions of dollars.
Then it was discovered that Natsios worked on the Big Dig.
The Washington Post did a story about a transcript of the Nightline interview disappearing from USAID.gov. It’s called “White House Web Scrubbing”. So, I kept digging, and this video was the result.
I was then referred to a CBS News story where former Mass. Inspector General Robert Cerasoli spoke very candidly in his blaming of Bechtel for the crisis that’s unfolding now.
“I don’t particularly think the Ted Williams tunnel is safe,” Cerasoli said. When asked where the fingers should be pointed, he said “they should be pointed to Betchtel…they controlled everything.”
The video can be found on the CBS News site.
Bechtel has been quiet, issuing a five paragraph statement on their website Friday:
“The tragic death of Milena Del Valle on Monday evening and the loss of public confidence in the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel are of great concern to Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff. We are deeply committed to supporting efforts to investigate the accident, re-open the highway, and address public concerns.
We endorse and will fully support a prompt, non-partisan, expert and objective review of the entire Central Artery/Tunnel project with a focus on potential public safety issues.
We firmly believe the project’s engineering, construction, and quality assurance processes were appropriate and robust. We are proud to have been a part of one of the largest, most complex, and technically challenging projects ever undertaken in an urban setting — and which is already transforming one of this country’s most important, attractive, and livable cities.
Nevertheless, we strongly believe that a comprehensive review — including design, construction, operations, and maintenance — is essential to restoring public confidence in this historic project. We urge that this review cover the entire range of potential safety-related issues, including structural integrity, structural elements over roadways and public areas, suspended ceilings, ventilation and support systems, fire and life safety, structural fire protection, utilities and lighting, communication systems, and the adequacy of operational inspection/maintenance.
We are also fully committed to assisting the on-going investigation. Supporting concrete ceiling panels by anchoring bolts to the roof with epoxy adhesive is widely and successfully used throughout the public transportation industry. Determining the causes of this specific failure will require a thorough forensic analysis of design, methods, materials, procedures, and documentation.”
This one is far from over, but it illustrates the importance of mixed media journalism: weblog, independent video, major network and cable news, print journalism. The next step in the process may find the politicians abandoning or distancing themselves. The slurry wall leaks of 2005 were seen as a harmless nuisance, but not someone is dead.
The original question was, why did someone have to die before this came to light and before action was taken? The new question is, why did those responsible wait for someone to die?