BOSTON — You're driving out on the roads and you cross right over a manhole cover -- you probably don't think twice about it.
But this weekend, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation wants you to know they haven't forgotten about the loose manhole cover that killed a woman in a freak accident earlier this year.
There are more than 1,100 manhole covers throughout Boston. MassDOT says they're inspecting all of them in the wake of the death of a Milton elementary school teacher in February.
Investigators said Caitlin Clavette was killed when a metal cover came loose was sent airborne in the O'Neil Tunnel.
Exactly how that happened remains under investigation.
This holiday weekend, with thousands descending on Boston, MassDOT says it is stepping up it's physical testing and maintenance, making sure all manhole and storm drain covers are bolted down.
"That's something that should have been taken care of years ago," Randolph resident John Thermitus said.
We talked with drivers who say this is just one more thing you have to worry about on the roads.
"I think that causes a lot of concerns for other drivers. Not only do we have to worry about potholes, now we have to worry about manhole covers that are loose," Thermitus said.
"I think it's inexcusable, is the the best way to put it, right? I mean it's kind of crazy to think the government, which holds us responsible for a ton of things, especially safety checks on our cars, is then having things out there for us that they're not doing the due diligence on," Avi Shemtov said.
Following that deadly accident on 93, MassDOT said they performed maintenance on 69 manhole covers and they will continue to bolt down unsecured covers throughout town.
Cox Media Group
