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The Big Dig, a decade-plus long construction project to replace the old elevated Central Artery
highway with tunnels and bridges, is still in progress. At a cost of about $14 Billion dollars, it is the most expensive
public highway project in U.S. history. Opened in 2003, the tunnel has been plagued with water leaks, and modest repairs must now be made to the new
highway. This author does save at least 30 minutes each way when traveling to Boston, and personally believes that
productivity gains in the private sector, as well as reductions in insurance claims, should cover the cost of building the road.
The now demolished Central Artery was constructed in the 1950s. About one thousand structures were torn down for the new road,
cutting a path through downtown Boston and extending Interstate 93 south of the city. The huge ugly steel elevated structure was at times referred to as the Green Monster, named after the left field wall at Fenway Park. The road was
designed to carry about 75,000 vehicles per day, and by the 1990's it was carrying more than twice that at 190,000 per day. Boston was a vibrant seaport
from 1650-1900, and the new structure completely dissected Boston from its historic waterfront.
Debate began in the early 1980s on how to replace the aging structure in a cost effective manner. There was a proposal to completely
bypass the downtown with suspension bridges. In 1986, much graffiti had even been written on the Artery and Tobin Bridge advocating this bridge
solution. The proposal was called the Boston Bypass Plan, and I
believe the graffiti used to say "Back the B.B." under a the silhouette of a
suspension bridge. Funding for a new tunnel was eventually negotiated in Congress by former House leader Tip O'Neil. Environmental impact studies were done in the late 1980s, and modest construction had started by 1993.
Some of the strange events surrounding the Big Dig include the initial suspension bridge debate, the old Scheme Z plan to build a stacked
interchange over the Charles River (eventually set aside for the Lenny Zakim and Leverett Circle Bridges), the initial Liberty Tunnel name
which was considered quite ordinary for such a large project and then later
re-named the Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Tunnel, and the current issue of huge water leakage into the tunnel. Tragically, on July 10th 2006, a three ton concrete section of drop ceiling in the South Cove
tunnel collapsed, and killed a 38 year old woman.
To save billions, this layperson would have recommended closing the central artery completely during construction. The savings could have
easily built brand new rail lines into Boston from 3-4 huge suburban rail terminals (with ample garage facilities). This option would also have
saved $2 Billion for the short tunnel under the rail line in South Cove. Most importantly, closing the central
artery would have allowed less expensive cut and cover tunneling in many sections, with a back up wall system, to ensure the new tunnel did not
leak much (most of the tunnel is built in areas that were land-filled in the 1800's).
Trivia: What was the official name
for the Big Dig?
Answer: Central Artery/Tunnel Project.
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