Back الحفر الكبير Arabic Big Dig German Big Dig Spanish بیگ دیگ Persian Big Dig French ביג דיג HE Big Dig Italian 빅 딕 Korean Big Dig Dutch Big Dig Portuguese
.png)   Boston's highway system before and after the Central Artery/Tunnel Project | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | The Big Dig CA/T Project |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°21′43″N 71°03′20″W / 42.36197°N 71.05562°W |
| Route |     I-90 / I-93 / US 1 / Route 3 |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 1982 |
| Constructed | 1991–2007[1] |
| Opened | 2003 |
| Traffic | Automotive |
The Big Dig was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the then elevated Central Artery of Interstate 93 that cut across Boston into the O'Neill Tunnel and built the Ted Williams Tunnel to extend Interstate 90 to Logan International Airport. Those two projects were the origin of the official name, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project). Additionally, the project constructed the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge over the Charles River, created the Rose Kennedy Greenway in the space vacated by the previous I-93 elevated roadway, and funded more than a dozen projects to improve the region's public transportation system. Planning for the project began in 1982; the construction work was carried out between 1991 and 2006; and the project concluded on December 31, 2007.[1] The project's general contractor was Bechtel and Parsons Brinckerhoff was the engineer, who worked as a consortium, both overseen by the Massachusetts Highway Department.
The Big Dig was the most expensive highway project in the United States, and was plagued by cost overruns, delays, leaks, design flaws, accusations of poor execution and use of substandard materials, criminal charges and arrests, and the death of one motorist.[2] The project was originally scheduled to be completed in 1998[3] at an estimated cost of $2.8 billion (US$7.4 billion adjusted for inflation as of 2020[update]).[4] However, the project was completed in December 2007 at a cost of over $8.08 billion (in 1982 dollars, $21.5 billion adjusted for inflation), a cost overrun of about 190%.[4][5][6] As a result of a death, leaks, and other design flaws, the Parsons Brinckerhoff and Bechtel consortium agreed to pay $407 million in restitution and several smaller companies agreed to pay a combined sum of approximately $51 million.[7]
- ^ a b LeBlanc, Steve (December 26, 2007). "On December 31, It's Official: Boston's Big Dig Will Be Done". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
- ^ "Review Begins after Big Dig Tunnel Collapse". CNN. Associated Press. July 12, 2006. Archived from the original on July 15, 2006. Retrieved July 25, 2006.
- ^ National Academy of Engineering; National Research Council; Transportation Research Board (2003). "Cost and Schedule Procedures". Completing the "Big Dig": Managing the Final Stages of Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/10629. ISBN 978-0-309-08887-9. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ a b "The Inflation calculator". Archived from the original on August 8, 2007.
- ^ Johnson, Glen (July 13, 2006). "Governor seeks to take control of Big Dig inspections". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2006.
- ^ Big Dig's red ink engulfs state Archived August 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Boston Globe, July 17, 2008
- ^ "Contractors to settle Boston Big Dig suit for $450M Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine". Toronto Star. January 23, 2008.