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Sections of Central Artery pavement that were supposed to last 30years are failing in less than a decade, causing a rash of potholesand debris at the mouth of the Thomas P. O"Neill Jr. Tunneland at other key points and forcing $1 million in unexpectedrepairs, the state"s top highway official said Wednesday. Highway maintenance crews have been filling potholes as theyappear, including rare midday work last week to repair a4-foot-square flaw that could have posed a rush-hour hazard, saidFrank DePaola, the state"s highway administrator. But thepotholes are now frequent and extensive enough that entire sectionsmust be repaved, causing temporary lane closures. The problem stems from a decision by the Bechtel/ParsonsBrinckerhoff team that oversaw Big Dig design and construction topave the project with concrete, more commonly used in warmerclimates, instead of traditional New England asphalt, DePaola said.That surface concrete is now separating from the structuralconcrete slabs below it wherever the highway has a steep slope,such as at on- and offramps and tunnel openings, he said. "They recommended it on the steep slopes because they thoughtit would be more durable,"" DePaola said afterinforming the state Department of Transportation board that themost crumbling stretch - a 600-foot-long section where Interstate93 northbound leaves the O"Neill Tunnel and climbs theLeonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge - would be repavedlater this month. DePaola said the problem is a surface issue, not a structural orsafety matter, but it represents the latest flaw in a $15 billionproject that changed the face of Boston and has been plagued withhigh-profile problems. "It"s an unfortunate symptom of this project that someof the finishes were possibly not done at as high a quality as theycould have been,"" DePaola said. The initial work at the northbound start of the Zakim, expected tocost $200,000, will be conducted overnight on select weekends overthe next few weeks and will result in temporary lane closures whencrews are milling and repaving, said DePaola. Other problem areaswill be addressed next year. The repaving may be eligible for reimbursement through amaintenance trust set up in 2008 with proceeds from a nearly $500million settlement with Big Dig contractors Bechtel/ParsonsBrinckerhoff and others for shoddy work, ranging from water leaksto a ceiling-tile collapse that lead to a fatal accident in 2006. DePaola informed the board of the pavement issue at a wide-rangingmeeting in which board members grilled the chief executive of aSouth Korean company that has fallen behind on a $190 million orderfor MBTA commuter rail coaches; approved an overdue $112 millionoverhaul for deteriorated 1980s Green Line trolleys; and set inmotion changes intended to control escalating costs on The Ride,the T"s door-to-door service for people with disabilities. The five-member board, which also oversees the MBTA, spent 45minutes asking questions and demanding improvements from the chiefexecutive of Hyundai Rotem, which has fallen nearly two yearsbehind, and possibly more, on an order for 75 double-decker railcars. "If you want to continue to have a reputation in thiscountry, then you fix this,"" board member Janice Louxsaid. "You fix this or we will fire you."" Chief executive Min-ho Lee, speaking through a translator, vowed toredouble efforts at the company"s headquarters in Korea,where the coaches have been designed and the shells are beingbuilt, and at the Philadelphia plant slated to perform finalassembly. "We have come to the United States to tell you that we areprepared to bear additional costs in order to use all of theresources at our disposal to ensure that we are able to deliverhigh-quality vehicles to you as quickly as possible,""Lee said. Board members and Secretary of Transportation Richard A. Davey saidthey appreciated Lee"s visit but will remain frustrated untilthey see a redrawn schedule and actual production. "Optimismis good, but it doesn"t deliver cars,"" Daveysaid. The meeting was the board"s last before a scheduled MBTA fareincrease hits July 1, with fares and passes increasing an averageof 23 percent, including a 30 cents on CharlieCard subway fares and25 cents on CharlieCard bus fares. The increase will be much higher for The Ride, which is scheduledto double from $2 to $4 one-way and rise to $5 for customerstraveling in a new "premium service"" area. Thatplan has drawn sharp criticism from people with disabilities whosay it will leave those on a fixed income homebound and that thechanges to the map have been poorly articulated. In response, Jonathan R. Davis, the T"s acting generalmanager, said the $5 premium pricing area would not begin untilOct. 1, though the $2 to $4 increase will still occur July 1. Escalating popularity has driven the annual cost of The Ride above$100 million; it now consumes nearly 10 percent of the T"soperating budget, while accounting for less than 1 percent of allMBTA trips. To discourage possible abuse, the board Wednesday authorized the Tto sign a contract worth up to $10 million to create an in-personassessment program to evaluate Ride candidates, who currentlyqualify by submitting a note from their doctor. The changes will begin in the fall for new applicants and next yearfor renewing Ride users, T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. The board had balked repeatedly at staff requests this year toapprove a contract with Innovative Paradigms of California, heedingcriticism from disabled customers who said the selection processdid not sufficiently consider public input and warned that theassessments might discourage genuinely qualified Ride customers whoare reluctant to be examined in an MBTA office. "I would ask us to think about our own sense of socialjustice,"" said board member Elizabeth Levin, worriedthat the evaluation process would scare off some who need The Ride. The board voted to approve the deal with conditions - that the Tcarefully monitor the assessment process and retain the right tomodify it based on public input without the consent of InnovativeParadigms. John Winske, a disability-rights activist from Boston, said he hadhoped they would instead reject it and start over. "We knowsooner or later they have to do in-person assessments, butit"s a lot better to work with the community and get theirfeedback than to ram it down people"s throats,""said Winske, of the Disability Policy Consortium. Try BostonGlobe.com today and get two weeks FREE. Eric Moskowitz can be reached at . We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Surveying Tripods , Heavy Duty Tripods for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Heavy Duty Tripods.
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