Kevin Cullen does a nice job explaining how a company that paid a $50-million fine for supplying substandard concrete for the Big Dig is now getting state road contracts again.

This time it's from a group of motorists who want the return of all money the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has funneled to the Big Dig, Blue Mass. Group reports. The Massachusetts Turnpike Equity Trust says:

We have organized a trust approved by the Middlesex Probate Court that is open to any MassPike toll payer who has paid tolls at Route 128, Allston/Brighton, Sumner/Callahan Tunnels, or the Ted Williams Tunnel. We are trying to remedy and change the unfair toll collection policies of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority documents indicate that up to 58 cents of every dollar collected on the Boston Extension (from route 128 into Boston), and the Sumner/Callahan and Ted Williams tunnels is unlawfully diverted to pay for the Central Artery project ("Big Dig"). We toll payers are fed up with our toll monies being diverted unfairly to pay for the costs associated with the "Big Dig" - an unlawful tax that has unfairly burdened toll payers and bankrupted the Turnpike Authority. We urge other toll payers to join us in our fight for the return of our unlawfully expropriated toll monies.

Their lawyer is Jan Schlichtman, the guy who led the Woburn toxic-chemicals-in-the-water lawsuit.

Our new transportation secretary, appointed in the middle of a snowstorm for minimum effect, tells the Globe he doesn't know what "Big Dig culture" means:

When asked yesterday whether he was a part of the Big Dig culture, Aloisi said: "I don't even know what that phrase means."

At Blue Mass. Group, David provides a handy little primer for Mr. Aloisi - whose new boss made getting rid of "Big Dig culture" part of his campaign, concludes:

... The unanswered question -- for Aloisi, for the Governor, and for all of us -- is whether Aloisi is the right guy to navigate the state's transportation bureaucracy out of that culture, and into the new era of reform that we've been promised. For all of our sakes, I sure hope so.

Matt Laskowski stitched together an interesting aerial view using some Microsoft Live overhead images to show how things have changed since the Central Artery was taken down.

Heradl reports: Bernard Cohen quits, Patrick looks ready to appoint former Turnpike Authority lawyer James Aloisi to deal with financial mess left over from Big Dig. Oh, and the T.

Boston.com is reporting that a truck has jackknifed in the Leaking Tunnel

Globe study: All the Big Dig did was push traffic congestion elsewhere.

Modern Continental also has to keep paying for bonds for six years in case anything else goes wrong.

Channel 4 employee has terrifying encounter with some long black thing hanging from the tunnel ceiling this morning. They could call it Diggy.

Associated Press reports on the settlement between the family of Milena Del Valle of Jamaica Plain and 15 entities, including contractors and the turnpike authority over her wrongful death in 2006.