http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/15/big.dig.ap/index.html

Well, the safety consultant can no longer express an opinion of the tunnel's safety. Despite of fire insulation falling from the ceiling and several hundreds water leaks and many undiscovered water leaks, the the chairman of Masspike authority said that the tunnel is safe.

My question is , if it is safe. Why the heck they installed the fire insulation in the first place.

Secondly, does salt water corrode? Let me think, steel beams are exposed to salt water and the tunnel is safe......

I don't get it.

Whom should I believe?

 

Hard to say, Thomas.

But knowing how you feel about your "S" I'd stay out of that tunnel if I were you.

 

Hey Thomas, when you take your S out next month, why not take a first drive thru the tunnel and let us know what you find out?

 

 

I'll stick to the surface roads All that water getting in can not be good just from a common sense view point...

 

I am moving to Salt Flat!

 

Hey George! Off topic:

What's the status on the baby? Arriving soon?

 

man I wish i was a vendor for the big dig. I'd be ROLLING IN IT

 

I'm just glad I don't have to use that POS tunnel.
Salt water alone is not that problematic...it's salt water coupled with oxygen that eats away at metal. Consider how long the Titanic and CSS H.L. Hunley have held together and, for that matter, much closer to home, the USS Longstreet, the target ship in Cape Cod Bay. While the upper surfaces have all gone, the parts below the low tide mark are still there.

 

Thomas,

The fire insulation is normally used to protect the steel for a certain time limit in the event of a fire. If the steel gets too hot in a fire it will get soft and bend/collapse (if you want to bend steel it's easier if you heat it first).

Remember that the World Trade Center lasted quite long in a more severe fire that was envisioned due to safety margins that were taken. That extra margin allowed many thousands of people to escape before the ultimate collapse.

Kind Regards, Chris