BIG DIG FOUND SAFE:

The Big Dig tunnels under downtown Boston are structurally sound and safe for traffic despite recent leaks, the Federal Highway Administration reported. The rare bit of good news for the much-maligned Big Dig followed the agency’s investigation into the leaks, which were revealed last September after water broke though a faulty wall panel in the Interstate 93 tunnel, backing up traffic for miles and setting off a new round of criticism of the multibillion-dollar project. Studies later revealed hundreds of smaller leaks in the tunnel ceilings.

The report said the problem that caused the September breach “appears to be isolated to a discrete section of the tunnel and primarily the result of poor quality control during construction.” But the Big Dig itself “is structurally sound and remains safe for traffic,” it said.