Ice dams spotted inside Big Dig tunnel in Boston

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- They're tough to miss: The mounds of ice that have formed from water leaking into the tunnel to I-93 South.

One infrastructure expert worries, if that's what drivers can see, then what lies behind it?

Dan mcnichols/infrastructure expert
Tim tinlin/ massdot
Trt-
Oc-more problems then less

They're leaks frozen over. FOX  25 reporter Kerry Kavanaugh spotted mounds of ice heading south on 93 after entering the tunnel at Haymarket.

In several spots, areas can be seen where the water has seeped into the wall of the tunnel and froze to it. At one point, water iced over the walkway to the point that it meets the road.

"What you've pointed out is a major source of water coming in from the outside," said infrastructure expert Dan McNichols.

McNichols is an infrastructure expert and also author of the book 'The Big Dig." He says the record snowfall is likely creating these news leaks, combined with the pressure the 93 tunnel already faces from the ocean and groundwater.


"A leak in a big dig tunnel is like a tip of an iceberg," McNichols said. "These leaks will cause damage. Certainly superficial damage at first, and ultimately severe damage if they're not treated."


FOX 25 also showed the trouble spots to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.


"When you have this type of, not just record breaking snowfall, but record breaking cold...you're gonna get that ice build up," said Tom Tinlin, the chief of highway operations and maintenance for MassDOT.

He says a bigger concern would be if that ice makes it on the road. But they're not taking any chances.

"We've already notified the team at District 6 which does the tunnel system to go out there see what type of measures can be made to mitigate that," Tinlin said.

McNichols says it's an issue that has to be addressed, especially along such a highly traveled road.

"The water, the leakage, when it freezes is a great indicator of where there are more problems then less," he said.

It's not just the road that is of concern, McNichols said, but the frozen over walkway that could be needed in the case of an emergency.

Cox Media Group