The Central Artery/Tunnel Project in Boston, widely known as the “Big Dig,” stands as one of the most complex and expensive infrastructure undertakings in United States history. Designed to replace a congested elevated highway with a series of underground tunnels, the project aimed to alleviate traffic and reconnect the city’s waterfront with its downtown district. While the project successfully transformed Boston’s urban landscape and created new public green spaces, it became synonymous with massive budget overruns, engineering hurdles, and significant completion delays that spanned several decades.
- The project replaced the deteriorating six-lane elevated Central Artery with an eight-to-ten-lane underground expressway.
- Initial cost estimates for the project were approximately $2.6 billion, but the final expenditure exceeded $14.8 billion.
- Engineers utilized innovative methods, such as ground freezing, to stabilize the soil and prevent the collapse of existing buildings and subway lines during excavation.
- The construction included the Ted Williams Tunnel, the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway.
- The project faced numerous safety concerns and structural issues, including leaks in the tunnel system and a fatal ceiling collapse in 2006.
- Completion of the Big Dig resulted in 17 acres of new parkland and significantly reduced the average commute time through the city.
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projects like this are always greatly appreciated in the future once they are done. But always a good lesson to learn from to do things even better in the future.
Im a bostonian, and i used to work in union construction. The free for all that was unleashed was unprecedented. The amount of money funneled by the construction conglomerates was in the billions man. They made out like bandits, cost overruns were routine.
Ian Coss had an in depth look at the Big Dig a few years back for GBH news. I remember that project and the 146 redesign around the same time.
We need permitting reform NOW!
Too bad the cross Bronx wasn’t also relocated underground, would have saved entire neighborhoods. Robert Moses didn’t care, looking at the funds for related projects it seems cheap by today’s overinflated overrun budgets
Well will people learn to invest in mass transportation in this country!?! More cars are not the answer.
Was a huge failure overbudget
Traffic is worse then ever
1:30 – Its 2026 and I did this just yesterday
Yes, it was over budget. Yes, I appreciate taxpayers in other parts of the country who helped finance the Big Dig. However, the long term benefits have been enormous and having driven through Boston before and after the BD, I absolutely believe it was worth it. Are there still issues? Sure, but best public works project I’ve experienced.
LOLOLOL when Leslie asked what the holly memorial has to do with the big dig……me mum!
The zipper lane is asinine
The biggest money laundering operation in U.S. History.
Kinda crazy how little the conversation was about what the Big Dig was actually for: reconnecting a community that had been divided by car infrastructure. The framing of this piece is all around the Big Dig as a highway project and totally misses the point, just goes to show how much more car-centric thinking was the norm back in the 90s. Particularly the Gillett plant tunnel angle. It wouldn't really make sense for a project designed to improve the urban fabric to take away from one of the community's main employers, but if you're only thinking about traffic then it seems like a boondoggle.
The $3 Billion project that was finished for $16 Billion
It did fix traffic in downtown Boston, but only by pushing the traffic jams out a couple of miles from the city center
I mean hampton roads built one express lane for $3.2B sooo
Anyone who’s been in Boston knows that this Big dig the best investment ever made in the city
In hindsight not too bad
I love this retrospective. This project changed this city. It is now one of the best downtowns in the US because of the big dig. When you walk thru this area, you just cannot imagine a big smelly dirty noisy highway running right thru this beautiful area. It reconnected the whole city. It may have cost more than it should have, but the economic boom it created is something very few predicted. So many people are against big projects that promote better lives for people but once they are completed everyone says " I was one of the few people who advocated for this" LOL….
THE BIG DISASTER WITH AN EVEN BIGGER CORRUPT OPERATION‼️ STILL LEAKS AND LOOKS LIKE IT WAS DESIGNED IN THE 70’s‼️ MASSACHUSETTS OFFICIALS INVOLVED ALL GOT RICH SKIMMING MONEY FROM THE TOP💰💰🤑 THE IDIOTS IN BOSTON WILL STILL VOTE FOR THESE CORRUPT CLOWNS NO MATTER HOW TERRIBLE THEY MAKE THINGS‼️🤦🏽♀️✊🏾🇺🇸
Two things can be true at once:
1) It was a massive boondoggle, with graft, corruption, and waste everywhere.
2) It was absolutely worth it in the end.
Boston's downtown is one of the most beautiful and walkable in the US, in no small part thanks to the Big Dig.
This is awfully critical
Project manger is hyper blinking because he knows he’s caught.
I was born in 2003. Boston is immaculate now, it was a fantastic investment for the city. Thanks, Feds!
It took you 30 years to admit it?
So pathetic.
In total it cost $24 Billion🤯🤯🤯 and won’t be paid off til 2038
A democracy is the worst form of government. But it is better than all others. This is a great example.
I can’t watch this until the end. People can’t afford anything and these is how taxes are being spent.
Now in 2026 we sit in traffic in that tunnel
Have lived in Boston since 87. This was absolutely a transformative project. There was a ton a grift and with 85% paid by the feds, of course it was a net benefit to us. That said, grift still exists everywhere and imagine what it would cost if attempted today.
it's amazing how wrong all these critics were
The biggest mistake ever made!!!!!!!!!!
Ya, in 2026, since it’s opening, the traffic was never addressed.
This is the place of the birth of our nation. We owed it to the millions of people who visit us every year. This connected the historic Italian neighborhood "The North End" with the rest of the city. and considering how many billions of dollars we drop in bombs around the world every year, this was peanuts.
I’m from Boston and let me tell you!! This has been nothing but a waste of taxpayer money 💰..Can I get a cut for the inconvenience of traffic 😂😂😂😂
Talk about corruption this project was out of control the politicians had more people working on this project not doing anything there was zero oversight and at the end all it did was put the same traffic underground
I worked on this project from 95 through 2000 on night shift. We actually got more done at night without the heavy traffic like in the daytime. I don’t think traffic improved much north and south of Boston but I will say getting to the airport improved dramatically especially from the South through Ted Williams tunnel. It lessened the brutal fight through older Callahan Sumner tunnels which now coming from the North got better.
Does traffic flow better…yes when no one is driving! Traffic still is brutal in Boston. What a scam.
The Big Dig is the reason Boston is one of the cleanest cities in the country!
It benefits Boston and surrounding areas, but lots of people skimmed off the top. The stuff they found underground was amazing though.
This was an incredible project and it made Boston look even more beautiful. 🇺🇸✨
I am very surprised the whole thing hasn’t collapsed by now.
It’s amazing what can be accomplished with both parties working together to actually benefit the people they are suppose to work for! Bipartisanship on issues is the way it should be. As a ride-share driver in the city of Boston, I can attest to “the big dig” being the best investment made to date!
… at least Boston completed the project and has enjoyed the benefits for nearly two decades as of now.