Safety straps installed on tunnel fixtures Crews finished installing support straps on approximately 25,000 light fixtures in Big Dig tunnels yesterday, a temporary solution to corrosion issues, according to the state Department of Transportation. The support straps will be effective for the next three to five years while a long-term fix is developed, the DOT said. In February, a fixture fell in the Tip O’Neill tunnel. and the department was criticized for not telling the public for more than a month. On July 14, the Globe reported that workers found another extensively corroded fixture. According to DOT, work on installing support straps on all the light fixtures was under way when the July incident occurred.
Man with DUI convictions charged again A 58-year-old Jamaica Plain man, who was twice convicted of drunk driving, pleaded not guilty Friday to striking a Boston police officer and a bicyclist with his car last week while allegedly intoxicated, the Suffolk district attorney’s office said yesterday. Vinodkumar Patel faces charges including operating under the influence and operating with a suspended license, according to the district attorney’s office. According to prosecutors, Patel was driving a 2003 GMC Yukon northbound on Massachusetts Avenue around 5 p.m. Thursday when he turned onto Boylston Street, struck a 28-year-old cyclist, and dragged her a short distance. Patel then allegedly struck a police officer as he pulled over to the curb. Neither was seriously injured. Patel was released without bail at his arraignment in Boston Municipal Court, according to the district attorney’s office. He is due back in court Sept. 21.
GRAFTON
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