A Corporation is a Legal Person, as a "person" a Corporation is a Psychopath. We are morons to trust Psychopaths. Municipal Government is a Corporation. When Benito Mussolini (WW2 Italian fascist dictator) was asked; "What is Fascism?" he replied; "Corporatism." The Eagle on Mussolini's hat is a symbol for Lucifer, same for the Eagle on the back of the Dollar. See; The Corporation (2003)
This has been an excellent series so far. I hope GBH will do a segment on the related work for the north-south rail link (whose ground work was completed as part of the Big Dig) and commuter rail modernization, which the the MBTA is roundly failing to do promptly. We NEED good government with the capacity and capability to manage large public works projects.
Twenty years later people forget that the 'Boston Harbor Cleanup' was occurring in the same time-frame as the 'Big Dig'; ICF Kaiser (Construction Manager) and Metcalf & Eddy (Lead Design Engineer) basically served the same functions, respectively, on the former undertaking as Bechtel and Parsons-Brinckerhoff served on the latter. As an engineer for a design firm that had subcontracts for both efforts, I worked on both projects, and was able to observe firsthand the contrast in how both projects were managed by the CMs. ICF Kaiser was incentivized to control costs, and the Boston Harbor Cleanup stands as a shining example of a major public works project that came in under budget. In contrast, the more costs the Big Dig incurred, the more profit Bechtel made. I certainly hope the creators of this series will produce an episode that compares these two projects to shed further light on the principal role that Bechtel's corporate culture (secrecy, greed, and the purchasing of political influence) played in the cost overruns, inefficiencies, and quality control lapses of the Big Dig.
Let's simplify by saying the tunel failed somewhat because it was build the american way ? I've never understood the kind of contracts that say "deliver me xyz before that date" or you gonna have to pay x millions penalties a day etc. Especially when the xyz refer to a very complex product as a major infrastuctur project, a new airplane project, etc. maybe that is part of the problem here also.
I was an employee of Bechtel/Parson Brinckerhoff JV and AGI the general underwriter (off the books--I have no idea why) but my office was on the third floor of the Fargo building (97-99) Charlie Spinks was the GM. I'm not going to get too deep, but I became well aware very quickly that something was amiss and as far as I was able to learn it went straight back to Beacon Hill and the governor was well aware as well--and he was trying to get "out of Dodge". Most of my "sources" were engineers but the various union BA's just told it like it was. As far as I have always understood, Bechtel was being strong armed to keep silent or else face termination---rather than do the right thing---they said nothing---so their sin was silence. There was some sort of mutiny on the Turnpike Board so the state house wrested control of the CATP from the Turnpike and gave it to Mass Highway who was more "obedient". One day talking to an engineer about the O'Neill "cut and cover" he said he didn't think that they calculated the hydraulic pressures on the tunnel sufficiently which would come back to haunt them.
A huge thank you to the team at WGBH and Ian Causs for creating this truly needed story on the Big Dig. I found this show when it was on it's third episode, and I have been looking forward to Wednesday afternoons ever since. Ian, please make more series on Boston public infrastructure, it is such an interesting facet of This beautiful city's character. God bless all of you.
with how well these are doing on youtube I might recommend pivoting from a podcast with purely stock footage to a semi documentary style splicing in more interview footage tbh, The visuals add so much and are so interesting to watch if you do any more similar series in the future
I laughed at the engineers tasting the water to see if it was sea water or fresh, since I did the exact same thing on inspecting some leaks in the plenums of the Ted Williams tunnel. After the collapse of the panels a bunch of NE firms brought in engineers from all over to inspect the roofs on all the tunnels, so I spent a summer inspecting a lot of construction. There were so many plan sheets between different segments it was a real challenge to keep what was going where straight. I remember tracking down a bunch of leaks that were coming through the conduits holding the fiber optic to Logan that needed to be rerouted. What looked like poop stains on the walls were the remains of conduits that shouldn't have been exposed to sea water. Good times.
Captivating is the word for this podcast. Thank you for all the hard work making this. As someone who grew up with the Big Dig, so much of this was unknown to me.
It's so haunting to know that the couple were just seconds from leaving the tunnel when her life was cut short. I hope that everyone working in construction or frankly any field (food service, medicine, etc.) constantly acknowledge that there are life and death decisions being made and cutting corners to save a buck or just get the job done aren't worth the loss of someone's life.
I’ve followed the series , and for a while , I’ve taken as it was ended. Love the narrative. It is not for the footage , which is fine. The narrative had its stead. Chronologically. It is what gets you hooked for the entire episode’s length. It helps I drove by there before and after the 0toject continuously. So there is a connection after all. Please keep on adding other editorial projects you might have on the archives towards the pipeline.
I was there in 1987 and the tunnel leaked a lot, most ventilation off and smoggy, steel bridges with six inch diameter rusted holes, and it is a whole different world culturally, like people's surprise that you own a vehicle. The Channel bar / nightclub was the best I found, suppose to be where the tea was dumped.
SoNH person here. This is super interesting. The countless times I've driven people to logan, taking for granted the tunnels and how the flip these were actually built. 2004, i was like 9 years old so this wasn't a thing i saw live. very cool, whoever worked on this project honestly, big or small, definitely deserves a medal
Seeing others here is a great way of finding people with similar minds, because let’s face it, not everyone we know was waiting for the latest podcast episode of the big dig to drop :)
@@WoodT92 no doubt. The cherry on top for me is that it’s such a relaxing production style to listen to. Not in a way that softens the seriousness of the topic either.
Did the Lawyers get a 3rd? Joking. From someone that misses Boston deeply, that didn’t have to live thru the pain of the project, I only got to take my children to the area that is now a park and say, “I remember when the traffic was so loud. The silence is beautiful. It was worth it. Great job on this piece GBH.
Some scary stuff for me in the 2006 accident that killed Milena Del Valle. 6 hours prior to that accident, I'd driven under that area, same lane. In my 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible. Top down of course, because it was July 10th and I was headed to some friends place for dinner. Things like this make you think about things....if those roof panels had given way while I was under it? The car would have been completely crushed, similar to the 1991 Regal. Words can't express my luck here and sorrow for Milena. I still have the 2001 Sebring Convertible.
Glad you’re here today. But we should not sacrifice a single citizen for corporate greed. An entity of business should be treated as an entity of a singular human
It's a bit on the lenghty side and unusual now on the fast delivered fast digested information era but surprisingly good. Before anything else I was captivated by the clear voice of the narrator and the robustness of it's storytelling.
I had heard the epoxy used was a quick set type, instead of the specified slow cure version. It was substituted due to supply issues with the original formula and/or it was done for scheduling reasons. This is how it was relayed to me from a QC tester. They also said it failed pull tests often and the project leadership wasn’t willing to rework anything so it would just get tested until it passed the tests. This retest until it passed was also done with the concrete slump and strength tests. Im still using igloo arctic coolers purchased for sample transportation from the big dig. They keep ice for a week even being opened regularly for beverages.
one time i was tired driving through boston at 3am and a pool of water in the tunnel looked like a big hole in the ground, it scared the crap out of me until I realized “oh it’s just a reflection on the water”
If you think Aggregate was the only company cutting corners , you are delusional. There are construction workers who to this day tell their family members not to travel through the tunnels.
We slump test every single truck or batch lode. In addition, we fill a couple 6" pvc pipes (capped at bottom), for testing and or future forensic analysis in case of a failure.
I'm the same age as the narrator, it seems, and this is the chapter where I started paying attention to the news, so this is the bit that I'm actually starting to remember, beyond vague memories of driving on the elevated Central Artery on the occasional family trip to the Aquarium or the Museum of Science, or something.
At one of the progress briefings down at 10 Park Plaza, they were discussing the naming of the new tunnel. I suggested naming it after a renown archaeologist who by digging down, discovered the unknown; Dr. Louis Leakey.
25:20 THERE IT IS. The first time that, despite being a teenager, I had to ask my dad "Um...What happened with the Big Dig?" And I didn't like the answer...
Good friend of mine from mass highway was paid double to to,work third shift supervising and signing off on the rehanging of the Ted Williams ceiling panels. Originally only epoxy was used second time rivets
True, but the culture was "don't kill the job" and there was "general absolution" from the state house, as long as their friends and families were and remained on the payroll---not people actually working---no the state house crew had jobs like community outreach, and scores of fictitious job titles. One other thing---the scores of excavators, cranes, compressors that wouldn't even start, parked south of the Comm Pier---all owned by folks connected to the state house and leased back to the Big Dig.
You're too good of a person. These companies and the related bureaucrats they so fervently lobby for know exactly what they are doing. Profits over ppl always. The settlement is chump change compared to the money they made, the money they will make, and the palms they will continue to grease to keep their coffers stockpiled. And if the companies go under, they served their intended purpose. That of a sacrificial husk, where the acting parties can go on to do the same under a new entity.
I work in construction as a sprinkler fitter, much much smaller projects than this. We can't even get 3D coordinated prints where we're not running into other trades... I'm amazed at just how well they did on this job! Still, there was no reason that they should have been any back and forth over whether or not the state was going to pay for the repairs on these leaks. The state and by extension the taxpayers with a customer here and we're entitled to a complete and finished product without any additional out-of-pocket expense.
The biggest injustice is when companies push forward with their "good intentions " and just too big to put down when rushing work with indifference to safety that they stress to us so much.
They did the same with the cables on bridges in NYC wire didn’t meet specs they drove loads around the back of plants to get new passing tickets for rejected loads.
It's nice that after 16 years of blood, sweat, and tears they were finally able to get the huge gorilla off their back and hold it accountable for its failures in the oversight of this massive project. However, it doesn't take away the pain and sorrow of that fatality.
We just wanted a tunnel, what we got was a tunnel, and an epic lesson in civil engineering. This is why we, the tax payers, use the word "accountable".
2:50 A lot? That's INSANE! I work for a CVS call center and not only do they not mandate overtime (Though they DO sometimes HEAVILY IMPLY WE SHOULD DO IT...A few weeks a year. But even then THEY FORBID US FROM GOING OVER 60 HOURS (I had 72 planned once 3 days on a break Weds and 3 more but they denied me working Saturday so I only got 60...And that was VOLUNTARY) so I can only IMAGINE what the 40/40 club faced...(I can never do overtime again now because I'm on third shift and they LITERALLY NEVER need it. I started two hours early ONCE and THAT WAS IT)
It's even more amazing how bectel and parsons remain in business. Bechtel performs a ton of industrial projects in my area.. nearly all have issues from beginning to end and past the end...yet they continue to win large projects.
the podcaster tries to lead the prosecutor to say that he made the decision on Bechtel on his own, but if you will notice he did not say that. he said he understood what his bosses back in dc wanted by what they declined to approve.and he complied with that.
We see it again and again; if a corporation is big enough then its criminal negligence comes down to a payout and a bit of bad publicity. Construction; transport; health care; chemical industry; food products. All the same.
You are failing to tell the real truth. It’s a culture created by the Bectels and the Peter Kiewitts and others. The corporate culture is get the job done as quickly and cheaply as possible. Because we get to keep everything left over. They never have to say it out loud. They set near impossible goals for their project managers and they reward them handsomely. Very handsomely. They wear gold and diamond rings and Rolex’s. So the Project managers do whatever they have to do to get the job done so they can move on to the next. Finish this one, start the next. The next bonus. The company never has to tell them directly to do sloppy work. It is implied anything goes just get the job done, under budget, under the time line and get your bonus or find another job. It’s the culture and it will not change. Banning them from government contracts is the only punishment they feel.
I think you’ve missed the point and the Feds, State and the City dropped the ball on this project. Bechtel is a proven company with a track record of great achievements. However, they needed to work in an environment that let them do their job. All levels government were aware of the high level of corruption in Boston and the involvement of organized crime in all aspects of construction. It was the responsibility of government entities to ensure a safe, honest and ethical work environment and to provide oversight, protection and policing. They didn’t do their jobs and instead blamed Bechtel who had an impossible mandate, given where and with whom they had to work.
Companies should pay after not hiring a second and 3rd shifts to keep workers more alert. Thats what screwed USA on covid crisis hospitals fired one whole shift to save money on more employee benefits putting remaining 2 shifts on 12 hr shifts with no one to cover overtime for weeks.
The project was certainly ambitious, over-ambitious in reality, but if that question was ever seriously asked I’m unsure. It cost a tremendous sum, and for years that was the main thing the media wanted to focus on because it was a Scary Big Number, along with who to blame. It sounds like the final episode of the series will try to answer whether it was worth the cost. As for handing out blame, certainly the crooked aggregates cement supplier needed to be hung, whoever was responsible for the epoxy failure in the tunnel leading to a death, and whatever fudging of the bills Bechtel may have attempted certainly should be called out. But the scale and scope of this, doing so much that had never been tried before, should be celebrated, not criticized. It is audaciously bold, and mostly good, especially compared to what was there before.
the idea that someone can see a corporation cut every conceivable corner in the name of profit and say that there was no bad intent behind is hilarious to me how can someone lick boots this fucking hard, profit IS bad intent and just about every corporation there is has proven it several time over.
It also would be great to give other companies a chance, it seems to me it would be more competitive, gives the state also more control.. “its still tax money and citizens at stack” that should be concern, also find it very shameful, and amateurism for being the great system, but seems so poorly done.. example: safety lanes, safety lights, something modern for me it gives a very creepy look.. in my eyes this smells like maffia type crimes.. but that is common in America.. its not about making America the future, or showing its got a real style, futuristic and such.. very sad
I understand that you don’t want to take sides on the success or failure of the construction. But, a woman did lose her life. And there is no scarier sight for a driver in a tunnel than water gushing in at a tremendous rate. Lucky there were no accidents from that incident. Countries around the world build tunnels under rivers and seas without the issues experienced by this project. So to me, corners were cut, plain and simple. And that to me says failure from the federal government, state government, city government, and the contractors.
Yeah, you really showed Bechtel. They had revenue of 17.6 Billion last year. In the top 20 in the Fortune 500 companies. 😂😂😂 Nice hit piece , they are still doing contract work for the U.S. govt. but you still feel good though, right. Bechtel still laughs around the boardroom when you mention Boston .😂😂😂
Hey Big Dig Podcast listeners! Would you be interested in seeing extra archival source material from the time of the Big Dig? Let us know:
I'm GAME 🤔
A Corporation is a Legal Person, as a "person" a Corporation is a Psychopath. We are morons to trust Psychopaths. Municipal Government is a Corporation.
When Benito Mussolini (WW2 Italian fascist dictator) was asked; "What is Fascism?" he replied; "Corporatism." The Eagle on Mussolini's hat is a symbol for Lucifer, same for the Eagle on the back of the Dollar. See; The Corporation (2003)
Yes.
Oh yes please
Absolutely!
I do not want this amazing series to end. Hats off to everyone involved.
Same. These works are so few and far between ❤
We are so glad you're enjoying it! Thank you!
This series will continue . . . as potential FAILURES mature ! 😬 🇺🇲 👎
*hard hats off*
Another excellent episode! Outstanding journalism and podcast values. An incisive point of view but still even-handed treatment of those involved.
This has been an excellent series so far. I hope GBH will do a segment on the related work for the north-south rail link (whose ground work was completed as part of the Big Dig) and commuter rail modernization, which the the MBTA is roundly failing to do promptly. We NEED good government with the capacity and capability to manage large public works projects.
That sounds appropriate and interesting.
Suggest the subtitle to be: "doomed from the start"; merely collect some Alan Altshuler quotes over the years and one will find out way.
Twenty years later people forget that the 'Boston Harbor Cleanup' was occurring in the same time-frame as the 'Big Dig'; ICF Kaiser (Construction Manager) and Metcalf & Eddy (Lead Design Engineer) basically served the same functions, respectively, on the former undertaking as Bechtel and Parsons-Brinckerhoff served on the latter. As an engineer for a design firm that had subcontracts for both efforts, I worked on both projects, and was able to observe firsthand the contrast in how both projects were managed by the CMs. ICF Kaiser was incentivized to control costs, and the Boston Harbor Cleanup stands as a shining example of a major public works project that came in under budget. In contrast, the more costs the Big Dig incurred, the more profit Bechtel made. I certainly hope the creators of this series will produce an episode that compares these two projects to shed further light on the principal role that Bechtel's corporate culture (secrecy, greed, and the purchasing of political influence) played in the cost overruns, inefficiencies, and quality control lapses of the Big Dig.
it was one of the biggest financial scams to ever hit the city. What mayor set it in motion? who was governor then?
Let's simplify by saying the tunel failed somewhat because it was build the american way ? I've never understood the kind of contracts that say "deliver me xyz before that date" or you gonna have to pay x millions penalties a day etc. Especially when the xyz refer to a very complex product as a major infrastuctur project, a new airplane project, etc. maybe that is part of the problem here also.
I was an employee of Bechtel/Parson Brinckerhoff JV and AGI the general underwriter (off the books--I have no idea why) but my office was on the third floor of the Fargo building (97-99) Charlie Spinks was the GM. I'm not going to get too deep, but I became well aware very quickly that something was amiss and as far as I was able to learn it went straight back to Beacon Hill and the governor was well aware as well--and he was trying to get "out of Dodge". Most of my "sources" were engineers but the various union BA's just told it like it was. As far as I have always understood, Bechtel was being strong armed to keep silent or else face termination---rather than do the right thing---they said nothing---so their sin was silence. There was some sort of mutiny on the Turnpike Board so the state house wrested control of the CATP from the Turnpike and gave it to Mass Highway who was more "obedient". One day talking to an engineer about the O'Neill "cut and cover" he said he didn't think that they calculated the hydraulic pressures on the tunnel sufficiently which would come back to haunt them.
I can't believe how interesting this is. I have been anticipating each Wednesday for another episode. Great job!
Same here 👍
Dare we say Wednesday is the best day of the week? 😏 Thanks for watching!
A huge thank you to the team at WGBH and Ian Causs for creating this truly needed story on the Big Dig. I found this show when it was on it's third episode, and I have been looking forward to Wednesday afternoons ever since. Ian, please make more series on Boston public infrastructure, it is such an interesting facet of This beautiful city's character. God bless all of you.
Thank you so much! We're glad you're enjoying the series. More to come!
The company and management didn't make mistakes. They made choices...
with how well these are doing on youtube I might recommend pivoting from a podcast with purely stock footage to a semi documentary style splicing in more interview footage tbh, The visuals add so much and are so interesting to watch if you do any more similar series in the future
This was old WGBH segment footage. What you're suggesting is wayyyy more expensive to realistically produce.
You have presented the story of this massive project in such an interesting way. I look forward to these podcasts each week. Thank you
I laughed at the engineers tasting the water to see if it was sea water or fresh, since I did the exact same thing on inspecting some leaks in the plenums of the Ted Williams tunnel. After the collapse of the panels a bunch of NE firms brought in engineers from all over to inspect the roofs on all the tunnels, so I spent a summer inspecting a lot of construction. There were so many plan sheets between different segments it was a real challenge to keep what was going where straight. I remember tracking down a bunch of leaks that were coming through the conduits holding the fiber optic to Logan that needed to be rerouted. What looked like poop stains on the walls were the remains of conduits that shouldn't have been exposed to sea water. Good times.
Trade to trade communication and oversight lacks immensely! You don’t know how many fiber optic and gas lines I’ve hit 2 inches into the ground!
In 1999 I understand there were crack meters in the TWT that were doing unusual things r/t torsion and linear changes r/t seawater temp.
My weekly fix of big dig history
Great work , my hats off to GBH.
Captivating is the word for this podcast. Thank you for all the hard work making this. As someone who grew up with the Big Dig, so much of this was unknown to me.
It's so haunting to know that the couple were just seconds from leaving the tunnel when her life was cut short.
I hope that everyone working in construction or frankly any field (food service, medicine, etc.) constantly acknowledge that there are life and death decisions being made and cutting corners to save a buck or just get the job done aren't worth the loss of someone's life.
I’ve followed the series , and for a while , I’ve taken as it was ended.
Love the narrative. It is not for the footage , which is fine. The narrative had its stead. Chronologically. It is what gets you hooked for the entire episode’s length.
It helps I drove by there before and after the 0toject continuously. So there is a connection after all.
Please keep on adding other editorial projects you might have on the archives towards the pipeline.
first of the series i watched ... wow talk about getting away with everything ... il have to go back and watch 1 to 7
Great series. I hope to see more like this.
The common person would never hang concrete ceiling tiles let alone with epoxy. Inexcusable. Bad design, bad approval and bad execution.
I have never been to the US, but I have seen couple of documentaries about the Big Dig. This podcast is just fantastic.
I was there in 1987 and the tunnel leaked a lot, most ventilation off and smoggy, steel bridges with six inch diameter rusted holes, and it is a whole different world culturally, like people's surprise that you own a vehicle. The Channel bar / nightclub was the best I found, suppose to be where the tea was dumped.
SoNH person here. This is super interesting. The countless times I've driven people to logan, taking for granted the tunnels and how the flip these were actually built. 2004, i was like 9 years old so this wasn't a thing i saw live. very cool, whoever worked on this project honestly, big or small, definitely deserves a medal
Seeing others here is a great way of finding people with similar minds, because let’s face it, not everyone we know was waiting for the latest podcast episode of the big dig to drop :)
I’ve been craving a new episode. I’m so fascinated by the big dig
@@WoodT92 no doubt. The cherry on top for me is that it’s such a relaxing production style to listen to. Not in a way that softens the seriousness of the topic either.
@@chrisvazquez4291 fax. You get the seriousness of all that happened during those times
This guy is a brilliant interviewer.
Did the Lawyers get a 3rd?
Joking. From someone that misses Boston deeply, that didn’t have to live thru the pain of the project, I only got to take my children to the area that is now a park and say, “I remember when the traffic was so loud. The silence is beautiful. It was worth it. Great job on this piece GBH.
This has been such a great ride. Thankyou for all the time and effort put into this mega project
I will never forget the day I was driving home and water was pouring into the northbound 93 tunnel through a leak. It was scary.
Another Banger by GBH !! TY much
Some scary stuff for me in the 2006 accident that killed Milena Del Valle. 6 hours prior to that accident, I'd driven under that area, same lane. In my 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible. Top down of course, because it was July 10th and I was headed to some friends place for dinner. Things like this make you think about things....if those roof panels had given way while I was under it? The car would have been completely crushed, similar to the 1991 Regal. Words can't express my luck here and sorrow for Milena. I still have the 2001 Sebring Convertible.
Glad you’re here today. But we should not sacrifice a single citizen for corporate greed. An entity of business should be treated as an entity of a singular human
It's a bit on the lenghty side and unusual now on the fast delivered fast digested information era but surprisingly good. Before anything else I was captivated by the clear voice of the narrator and the robustness of it's storytelling.
I forgot about all of the Shady stuff that went on with this project, Wonderful job, thanks for this series.
Continue to love this series! Job well done to the team at GBH who puts this together!!!
I had heard the epoxy used was a quick set type, instead of the specified slow cure version. It was substituted due to supply issues with the original formula and/or it was done for scheduling reasons.
This is how it was relayed to me from a QC tester. They also said it failed pull tests often and the project leadership wasn’t willing to rework anything so it would just get tested until it passed the tests. This retest until it passed was also done with the concrete slump and strength tests.
Im still using igloo arctic coolers purchased for sample transportation from the big dig. They keep ice for a week even being opened regularly for beverages.
This episode was so frickin awesome. Great journalism work! Thank you!!!!
Surreal seeing the airplane look so big at 19:33.
one time i was tired driving through boston at 3am and a pool of water in the tunnel looked like a big hole in the ground, it scared the crap out of me until I realized “oh it’s just a reflection on the water”
Thank you!
Right on. Thanks for sharing.
If you think Aggregate was the only company cutting corners , you are delusional. There are construction workers who to this day tell their family members not to travel through the tunnels.
We slump test every single truck or batch lode. In addition, we fill a couple 6" pvc pipes (capped at bottom), for testing and or future forensic analysis in case of a failure.
What a great watch! Thanks!
I'm the same age as the narrator, it seems, and this is the chapter where I started paying attention to the news, so this is the bit that I'm actually starting to remember, beyond vague memories of driving on the elevated Central Artery on the occasional family trip to the Aquarium or the Museum of Science, or something.
At one of the progress briefings down at 10 Park Plaza, they were discussing the naming of the new tunnel. I suggested naming it after a renown archaeologist who by digging down, discovered the unknown; Dr. Louis Leakey.
25:20 THERE IT IS. The first time that, despite being a teenager, I had to ask my dad "Um...What happened with the Big Dig?" And I didn't like the answer...
I love the political background, but would love to really get into the technical issues, which on this project were incredibly complex
I used to work for a third party testing company. I sure don't miss those 80+ hour work weeks.
You’d be great for RadioLab! I’m really enjoying this series, thank you! Go Sox
I visited Boston during the big dig and that was years ago and there was talks about this out in the public
Episode 7 - We don't want to hear from the Turnpike Board and we have the muscle. Episode 8 - Oooopsie! We goofed.
Good friend of mine from mass highway was paid double to to,work third shift supervising and signing off on the rehanging of the Ted Williams ceiling panels. Originally only epoxy was used second time rivets
I am an Uber driver. I remember Malaina everytime I drive to the airport. Sometimes I mention her name out loud and tell my rider about her.
Excellent episode. Cudoes!
Site supervisors are responsible to check and test every batch of cement. Period!
What if the supplier trick the test as explained in this doc ?
True, but the culture was "don't kill the job" and there was "general absolution" from the state house, as long as their friends and families were and remained on the payroll---not people actually working---no the state house crew had jobs like community outreach, and scores of fictitious job titles. One other thing---the scores of excavators, cranes, compressors that wouldn't even start, parked south of the Comm Pier---all owned by folks connected to the state house and leased back to the Big Dig.
I love the ratios on these vids
38:50 . . . Photo of Harvard University Stadium, with backdrop of Boston to the north . . . memories 🧐
You're too good of a person. These companies and the related bureaucrats they so fervently lobby for know exactly what they are doing. Profits over ppl always. The settlement is chump change compared to the money they made, the money they will make, and the palms they will continue to grease to keep their coffers stockpiled. And if the companies go under, they served their intended purpose. That of a sacrificial husk, where the acting parties can go on to do the same under a new entity.
I used to do concrete testing, and I can tell you there's nothing worse than a large pour going bad.
I remember seeing this - materials, one year back. Story may continue far into the Future . . . as POTENTIAL FAILURES mature !
I work in construction as a sprinkler fitter, much much smaller projects than this. We can't even get 3D coordinated prints where we're not running into other trades... I'm amazed at just how well they did on this job!
Still, there was no reason that they should have been any back and forth over whether or not the state was going to pay for the repairs on these leaks. The state and by extension the taxpayers with a customer here and we're entitled to a complete and finished product without any additional out-of-pocket expense.
The biggest injustice is when companies push forward with their "good intentions " and just too big to put down when rushing work with indifference to safety that they stress to us so much.
They did the same with the cables on bridges in NYC wire didn’t meet specs they drove loads around the back of plants to get new passing tickets for rejected loads.
Nyc is corrupt to the bones
WOW! My mouth dropped when Ian reported that epoxy was used to hold those massive slabs of concrete! Just...................,why!? SMDH!
It's nice that after 16 years of blood, sweat, and tears they were finally able to get the huge gorilla off their back and hold it accountable for its failures in the oversight of this massive project. However, it doesn't take away the pain and sorrow of that fatality.
We just wanted a tunnel, what we got was a tunnel, and an epic lesson in civil engineering. This is why we, the tax payers, use the word "accountable".
Scary stuff. Wow
2:50 A lot? That's INSANE! I work for a CVS call center and not only do they not mandate overtime (Though they DO sometimes HEAVILY IMPLY WE SHOULD DO IT...A few weeks a year. But even then THEY FORBID US FROM GOING OVER 60 HOURS (I had 72 planned once 3 days on a break Weds and 3 more but they denied me working Saturday so I only got 60...And that was VOLUNTARY) so I can only IMAGINE what the 40/40 club faced...(I can never do overtime again now because I'm on third shift and they LITERALLY NEVER need it. I started two hours early ONCE and THAT WAS IT)
The company should have been disbarred from federal work. In the end money is power.
i request another 100 episodes please
It's even more amazing how bectel and parsons remain in business. Bechtel performs a ton of industrial projects in my area.. nearly all have issues from beginning to end and past the end...yet they continue to win large projects.
Never understood the rationale for hanging heavy ass panels from the ceiling. WTF?
Those people who knew and were responsible for the bad concert going into this or any other job should spend time in prison.
the podcaster tries to lead the prosecutor to say that he made the decision on Bechtel on his own, but if you will notice he did not say that. he said he understood what his bosses back in dc wanted by what they declined to approve.and he complied with that.
We see it again and again; if a corporation is big enough then its criminal negligence comes down to a payout and a bit of bad publicity. Construction; transport; health care; chemical industry; food products. All the same.
100 trucks an hour? That’s billions of dollars
You are failing to tell the real truth. It’s a culture created by the Bectels and the Peter Kiewitts and others. The corporate culture is get the job done as quickly and cheaply as possible. Because we get to keep everything left over. They never have to say it out loud. They set near impossible goals for their project managers and they reward them handsomely. Very handsomely. They wear gold and diamond rings and Rolex’s. So the Project managers do whatever they have to do to get the job done so they can move on to the next. Finish this one, start the next. The next bonus.
The company never has to tell them directly to do sloppy work. It is implied anything goes just get the job done, under budget, under the time line and get your bonus or find another job. It’s the culture and it will not change. Banning them from government contracts is the only punishment they feel.
Salvucci has blood on his hands 🩸
"The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions."
I think you’ve missed the point and the Feds, State and the City dropped the ball on this project. Bechtel is a proven company with a track record of great achievements. However, they needed to work in an environment that let them do their job. All levels government were aware of the high level of corruption in Boston and the involvement of organized crime in all aspects of construction. It was the responsibility of government entities to ensure a safe, honest and ethical work environment and to provide oversight, protection and policing. They didn’t do their jobs and instead blamed Bechtel who had an impossible mandate, given where and with whom they had to work.
And who forced the 1090 cement tricks to be applied on a large scale ? Was it the governement maybe ?
There’s the Bechtel fanboi
As I recall Dick Cheney was associated with Bechtel.
Companies should pay after not hiring a second and 3rd shifts to keep workers more alert.
Thats what screwed USA on covid crisis hospitals fired one whole shift to save money on more employee benefits putting remaining 2 shifts on 12 hr shifts with no one to cover overtime for weeks.
concrete slabs hanging in the roo!? why not a lighter material?
corruption, kickbacks, unions, a-lot to go wrong here...
When I read Boston, I knew it'd be grift/graft.
if i see this series... why dont we work more together with the americans in public television?
Where are you from?
Germany
Obama was such a let down
The Zelkind Memorial Bridge was named for a prosecutor who had been murdered execution-style.
I smell a Soprano.
The project was certainly ambitious, over-ambitious in reality, but if that question was ever seriously asked I’m unsure. It cost a tremendous sum, and for years that was the main thing the media wanted to focus on because it was a Scary Big Number, along with who to blame. It sounds like the final episode of the series will try to answer whether it was worth the cost. As for handing out blame, certainly the crooked aggregates cement supplier needed to be hung, whoever was responsible for the epoxy failure in the tunnel leading to a death, and whatever fudging of the bills Bechtel may have attempted certainly should be called out. But the scale and scope of this, doing so much that had never been tried before, should be celebrated, not criticized. It is audaciously bold, and mostly good, especially compared to what was there before.
well we all want something
They.. tasted that water?!
Yeah, I guess they love that dirty water!
the idea that someone can see a corporation cut every conceivable corner in the name of profit and say that there was no bad intent behind is hilarious to me how can someone lick boots this fucking hard, profit IS bad intent and just about every corporation there is has proven it several time over.
It also would be great to give other companies a chance, it seems to me it would be more competitive, gives the state also more control.. “its still tax money and citizens at stack” that should be concern, also find it very shameful, and amateurism for being the great system, but seems so poorly done.. example: safety lanes, safety lights, something modern for me it gives a very creepy look.. in my eyes this smells like maffia type crimes.. but that is common in America.. its not about making America the future, or showing its got a real style, futuristic and such.. very sad
I understand that you don’t want to take sides on the success or failure of the construction. But, a woman did lose her life. And there is no scarier sight for a driver in a tunnel than water gushing in at a tremendous rate. Lucky there were no accidents from that incident. Countries around the world build tunnels under rivers and seas without the issues experienced by this project. So to me, corners were cut, plain and simple. And that to me says failure from the federal government, state government, city government, and the contractors.
i think there were bad intentions, carried out.
Had they not been here illegally they would not have been hit, no settlement deserved
Yeah, you really showed Bechtel. They had revenue of 17.6 Billion last year. In the top 20 in the Fortune 500 companies. 😂😂😂
Nice hit piece , they are still doing contract work for the U.S. govt. but you still feel good though, right.
Bechtel still laughs around the boardroom when you mention Boston .😂😂😂
Romney probably deceived both sides and made monetary gains. Sounds like a Chris Christy play.
7:13 "A future 2-term first African-American president". Yes he is correct hope is...
7:35 OH COME ON!!!
This is so common for Boston unions mobster hacks
"I just want justice for what happened"; the story y t folk and the world 😂
thats what happens when you dont TEST concrete!