What was the criticism of the Big Dig?


What was the criticism of the Big Dig? With interest, the project could ultimately cost around $24 billion, finally getting paid off in 2038. Besides creating a financial nightmare, the Big Dig was plagued by huge constructional flaws – which obviously added fuel to the fiscal firestorm.


Did the Big Dig reduce traffic?

The Central Artery/Tunnel Project was the largest, most challenging highway project in the history of the United States. It reduced traffic and improved mobility in one of America's oldest, most congested major cities. It built a framework for continued growth in Massachusetts and New England.


When did the Big Dig break ground?

Planning began in 1982; the construction work was carried out between 1991 and 2006; and the project concluded on December 31, 2007, when the partnership between the program manager and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority ended.


What replaced the central artery in Boston?

The Boston's Big Dig project replaced the elevated deteriorating six-lane elevated Central Artery (I-93) with an underground expressway beneath the existing road, extended the I-90 tollway underground to the South Boston Seaport and Logan International Airport, built a new 10-lane bridge over the Charles River, and ...


Who went to jail for the Big Dig?

Aggregate provided 60% of the concrete used to build the Big Dig. Indicted were: former general manager Robert Prosperi; dispatch manager Marc Blais; dispatch manager John Farrar; quality control manager McNally; district operations manager Gregory Stevenson; and dispatch manager Keith Thomas.


How much concrete did the Big Dig use?

The project placed 3.8 million cubic yards of concrete. That's enough to build a sidewalk three feet wide and four inches thick from Boston to San Francisco and back three times. The project installed more than 26,000 linear feet of steel-reinforced concrete slurry walls.


Why did the Big Dig ceiling collapse?

The National Transportation Safety Board released a report on the one-year anniversary of the disaster, that attributed the major cause of the collapse to epoxy creep.