People simply can’t understand what this project was. You cannot fathom the massive scale and what went into making this work. You had to work in the project or live in the area before, during and after. I luckily moved to Boston in 2002 and moved out in 2017. I saw this city flourish from an empty, dirty Fenway riverway, the mess that was “big dig”, and disgusting “seaport” to a modern, clean Fenway, a beautiful surface downtown park, a state of the art 8-lane underground highway and the clean “glass city” that is seaport, the new place to hang out. Put it this way, with all their construction, New York looks the same, still dirty and messy while Boston blossomed into a clean night & day type change city.
I learned to drive in the Big Dig. The first time I drove in NYC and thought it would be scary, but the Big Dig prepared me for anything. It's pretty great today, a trip from Somerville to Logan used to take close to 40 minutes, today in low traffic it only takes about 10 minutes. Boston traffic still sucks, but it sucks everyplace.
I worked on the Dig from beginning to end. It was the key to closing the door to the 20th century & opening the 21st. Boston had to do it to ensure a viable future. We're better off.
I'm a historian/tour guide in Boston. This project was totally worth every penny, especially when you consider what the city would be like if nothing was done (hint: it would be awful). Since the completion of the project in 2006, the economy of the Boston region has greatly expanded. Much of that growth was made possible by the Big Dig. Those cranes are all still in Boston, but they're building high-rises and corporate headquarters in South Boston, East Cambridge, Charlestown, Brighton, etc. Much of the engineering for the tunnels were things that had never been done before because of the physical constraints of building in a dense city. Air pollution is down, and even though traffic is still a problem, at least its in a tunnel underground, away from street level. The North End and waterfront have been reconnected with beautiful parks and pedestrian ways. Its made it much more enjoyable for residents and tourists. Yes, its expensive to live here and its not for everyone, blah blah, its a fantastic city that I get to show off for work! The Federal money that comes from the Boston area GDP funds the building and social programs of other states. Mass. provides more federal revenue than it gets in return in the form of federal funding (by about 20 Billion in 2020!) So Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana, Idaho, (insert red state here) you've welcome for your Social Security, interstate highways, Medicaid, and other federal programs that YOU DON'T PAY FOR but its for the greater good of us all.
@@nativeseneca7181 Considering that the project went $12 billion over the projected budget, I think it’s safe to say that it didn’t make anyone richer.
I have worked for many years in the Back Bay (Boylston Street and then Huntington Ave) and when I used to commute from central MA, I often walked from North Station to work. The area around North Station used to be ugly and depressing, with elevated train tracks and highways darkening the neighborhood. Now the area is actually open and pleasant. Now that I live much closer to the city, I often walk that route in reverse in the spring and summer, from Back Bay TO North Station, just to see all the interesting new attractions now opening in that area.
Almost every large engineering project goes over cost because anyone who estimates a realistic price loses the contract. Companies can not get the contract for any part of a project while giving a practical estimate because the government will choose a competitor who gives a lower, less realistic estimate
it's kinda sad to see them whining and moaning about the politics and budget of the Big Dig when now, it's finished and Boston is so, SOOOO much nicer for it. I wouldn't want the Big Dig to be reversed even if everyone got all their money back with interest. the greenway is a such a nice part of the city now, and I'm glad it replaced that gross overpass.
Antonio Chiappetta Massachusetts pays more than 25 billion dollars in federal taxes every year. And the Boston metro makeup 80% of the states GDP. Over a 20year span when the money was approved and until the project was completed, Boston residents alone probably paid a lot more than the 15 billion. Also the foundation of federalism is that the federal government could appropriate funding using the tax it collected.
@@alucardwingates447 it cost 24.3 billion dollars in total blowing its original budget by 200%. To put that in perspective the tunnel that links Great Britain to France cost 21 billion dollars.
Craig F. Thompson yes I completely agree there, never understood why they weren’t connected. Or just take that $12 billion and use it to expand the already existing highway, they literally did the big dig because the parkway was “unsightly” a complete waste. And they didn’t even make it more than 3 lanes.
She was the chief complainer during construction. I wonder how she likes it now? 100% better! People like her helped drive costs up with new windows and mattresses, restricted work hours, sound walls, etc.
@@whackamolechamp LOL! And I bet thats after you cleaned all day to prepare, right! my mom was similar! I think they bring a bag of dirt with them just so they can complain!
You will be pleasantly surprised! Not only has the Big Dig created a new green space where the elevated highway used to be, but Boston also has a cleaner harbor, a renovated harborside, a new neighborhood (Seaport) which consisted of a few parking lots when you were here last, a new public farmer’s market, less air pollution (because the Central Artery is now underground) a renovated downtown area, and so much more! The only thing it doesn’t have is affordable housing, which is a real shame. The rich just keep getting richer.
@Rebecca Haha yeah that sounds amazing other than the housing. A 4sq. ft. studio in Boston was 800-1000 per month without parking back then which was stupid expensive. I can't imagine how bad it is now.
I lived through the Big Dig, found it frustrating and confusing when I traveled to Boston. Before it was completed, I moved to GA and when the Big Dig was done, and I would fly home it was wicked awesome to travel through the tunnel and be on the Pike to and from Logan a blessing indeed. That overhead central artery was an abomination. After it was removed I never got to travel though Boston because I would fly into and out of Logan traveling from Worcester and it was a pure joy. I remember I could travel to Boston 40 mins on the Pick and it would take longer than that just to get to the tunnel to get to Logan something I hated so much. After the Big Dig getting in and out of Logan was a pure joy. It's been years since I have flown into Logan so I am not sure how it is today because the last few times I have traveled home it's been by car. I am too old to make that drive but next time I travel home I hope traveling the Pike to and from Logan is the same joy I receall and if it be so then the Big Dig was worth it's weight in gold. I now live in the Metro Altanta Area and they have 6 lanes of Highway running through Atlanta and they need 12 because its a nightmare much like everything merging in Boston with its 3 lanes.
As a north ender i can say this was entirely worth it. Our city is absolutely gorgeous now. Loving the green way so much! Does a way better job cutting us off from the rest of boston 😍
IT WAS GREAT I WAS IN CONSTRUCTION BEFORE AND DURING THAT TIME IN BOSTON ,BUT ON THE OTHER HAND IT WAS THE START OF GENTRIFICATION FOR AREAS AROUND DOWNTOWN BOSTON .
So many things… one of my uncles worked on this. Unreal really… lots of learnings. I also have friends who live in Boston, it’s an amazing city and surrounding area…. Our oldest went to Berklee school of music. My college buddy works in environmental cleanups… when we look at urban and rural and suburban works over time and space… the reality of work overlay is quite impactful.
I am positive that EVERY large civic project in the USA, particularly for transportation, goes over budget and takes longer than it was supposed to. Every one of them. I live in Honolulu and we're currently building an elevated train system that is getting the usual endless complaints, just like this did.
@@lhaviland8602 yes bc at the time it was in the middle of nowhere and people needed jobs desperately so if they could get one they wouldn't be complaining.
Rush hour return from Logan to Downtown, about 30-40 minutes, prior to the Big Dig, through the Summer Tunnel ( Calaghan in , Summer out ). Rush hour return from Logan to Downtown, about 10 minutes, through Ted Williams Tunnel. That and the fact you can coast Logan towards Metro West without having to cross downtown towards the Turnpike. And that the whole stretch between the waterfront and downtown has been reclaimed, once a dirt and convoluted swath of elevated pilings supporting I-93, which has become a magnificent open esplanade. Cost overruns asides, and the "big leak" aside, and death causing accidents aside, it was worth it.
The first time I traveled to Boston was in fall of 2003. I took the Chinese charter coach from lower Manhattan. I recall seeing the heaps and heaps of construction zones on I-93 and on the street downtown Two years later, I drove to Boston and the tunnel was actually done.
@@studinthemaking He worked for the Big dig and for a average blue collar worker, making that much money back then was unheard of in most social circles.
To all the people complaining about people complaining about the Big Dig. Look, this wasn't just "an expensive project that went over budget". This project was estimated at $5.8 billion, and at the time this video was made, the estimate was increased to $8.55 billion dollars. That's not just "oops we went over budget". That's already way more, percentage-wise, than is normal. BUT IT DOESN"T END THERE. This project ended up costing over $15 billion. And then $21 billion after interest (all these numbers are adjusted for inflation). That is full on corruption and mismanagement. No one is saying this project shouldn't have been done, just that everyone who was involved in the planning of it did a terrible job and if we could go back in time to do it again we should.
I remember going to the Museum of Science in Boston to see an exhbit about the Big Dig when I was in third grade. I was almost 26 by the time it was completely finished. I will say that it vastly improved traffic but I do kinda miss the views from the upper deck past Storrow Dr. At least there are videos of it on TH-cam floating around.
I don't see it that way. The Ted Williams tunnel helped a little with airport trips. But other than that, traffic's worse than it was in the 90s and you're just bumper to bumper in the basement.
Meanwhile 65 percent of the roads I drive on in the USA are old, warped, cracked, and littered with bumps and potholes. I just drove I95 yesterday through south Georgia. They are doing construction but what a mess of a road that is. Our car was just constantly jumping up and down and swaying. Japan has nice roads, was there last summer with a rental car. The thing had 86hp but with the smooth glass feel of the roads and even transitions it made you always feel like you were a race car driver. The system just works so well. Their expansion joints on bridges dont sag like ours do. I thought I was crazy but nope. They build awesome roads that are thicker. Plus they are building more in Japan each day than America does in a month.
@@nobrang5146 And let's not forget the Feds paid for 4 billion dollars of this massive failure. That effects more than just Boston. More than a quarter was paid by tax dollars taken from people in all states.
Japan isn't even as large as Florida, that has a lot to do with it...we have a boatload of open space to connect. Compared to Russia, another suitably sized country, our roads rock...plus Japan has no unions to grift millions out of every mile of construction
I remember driving into Boston to work with my dad and the big sign saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will the Big Dig!” We always had to leave no later then 5am or we could expect up to a hour of extra travel time stuck in traffic!
And when they scrape the roadway before repaving we have raised manholes. www.google.com/search?q=raised+manholes&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk02V6FNL4pRszpq8C4-FV9oFOLRePA:1582510289935&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=8Ar0Zgru_B7znM%253A%252C3DL0DzQfBEAZYM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kRG17t69sgap0DfqEhpEMQ51cEHqQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiugr2djunnAhUth-AKHXAAAi8Q9QEwAnoECAcQCA#imgrc=8Ar0Zgru_B7znM:
Yes, the Big Dig did make the city look better. As for easing our traffic problems? It didn't even make a dent. We're rated worst city in America as far as traffic congestion and it's only getting worse.
I have a friend who was a construction supervisor on the big dig. He told me stories about the payoffs, the shoddy workmanship, the workmen who were paid only to clock in and clock out, but never did any work, the substandard materials and flawed engineering, the frequent collapses, and a number of other shocking practices and events. The big dig is emblematic of a city infamous for its corruption.
Far and away… trappings of time and space…. And so many learnings. If we look… and listen. Oddly… Cincinnati’s and Orlando and stake holders over time and space… Orlando. Yet, translation and transportation… sure… intersections. But as the means of lense… not so much. But… very very impactful. Prometheus and primers of ACA and beyond. Fascinating really.
The Big Dig did it really make things better cause traffic is still horrific going through Boston. 93 North and South in the mornings is like a parking lot most of the time. I'm sure the Big Dig helped out but no one took into account how much traffic would be in the future.
Of course they took into account how much traffic could increase. The 3 lane Charlestown High Bridge was replaced with the 10 lane Zakim and entire Ted Williams 4-6 tunnel was added. The issue is that traffic will always expand as a city expands; you can only build so much highway. This is part of why there were conditions in the bill that mandated increased spending on the T. Some has been done (e.g. Silver line) and some is yet to be done (e.g. Green Line extension through Medford), but traffic is undeniably better than it would've been if the Big Dig hadn't happened.
It always gets lost that I93 pre big dig and post dig was never meant to be the sole main highway through Boston, it was only one link/arterial of a larger highway system that was never completed. Wether that would have been good, bad, ugly for Boston it doesn’t change the fact that it was part of an incomplete system.
I commute daily from the North to State st. What many don’t realize is every night many lanes are closed for maintenance. What they are doing I don’t know. There are obvious leaks they must repair otherwise it will freeze/thaw during winter seasons and destroy the infrastructure but every night lanes are closed. The Airport/State St exit is often diverted to South Station exit. Its amazing this ongoing repairs just do not end. I am fully aware of pm (preventative maintenance) but this does not stop. And changing light bulbs must literally cost hundreds of thousands if dollars with the lane closures, Trooper support, and dozens of crew changing a light bulb or two. Above ground things look amazing compared to the behemoth that existed prior.
It ended up being worth it. Boston is 100X better without that massive overhead freeway. I still refuse to drive in Boston and will only take the T, but getting rid of all that traffic has also been great for non-drivers
I understand the lady was upset that construction was going on but Jesus lady it’s called progress, moving forward. ( I realize this comment is 30 years late lol
The Big Dig was finished in 2007, so no. However, there are city tours that include parts of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, which is the park built in the space where the elevated highway once was. I am a tour guide for one of them, and I tell the guests all about the Big Dig when we get to that point.
I am not for the big dig or against it but i will say that everybody complains about the noise about the Dust about the congestion that construction creates but they never seem to complain about the finished product and they don't seem to understand all that goes in to doing and completing a job of this nature I will say this it's pretty hard estimate a job of this size to get an accurate cost analysis due to the fact that there are so many variables involved type of soil and environmental cost overruns labor so many things can happen
LMAO! You are very welcome! It was a pleasure & privilege sending every last dim to the hub of the universe! Hey if you got some change to spare, we would like to fix some of our roads too! would you mind?
No, because the roads in the rest of the state suffered for it, and still do today. During the big dig, towns were lucky to have the money to repaint the lines along state routes. Good luck getting a road paved during that time. The then Governor Weld threw Western Mass a lifeline of money right before construction began, warning to rebuild whatever roads we could ASAP because once the Big Dig starts, there will not be any money left and he knew it. Today, the sheer cost of maintaining that tunnel saps away money from the rest of the state (Again). And driving to Boston, even at 6 in the morning, is a nightmare. No wonder why tradesmen charge so much, especially service calls, it takes hours just to get anywhere with the van to work.
Does anyone know why the state didn’t lease “air rights” on the land above the new big dig? NYC did that when they buried their rail lines underground and it more than paid for that project. Having the “green way” in Boston is nice, but having reoccurring revenue from that free space would of been better.
The Big Dig needed to be done, traffic was choking and killing the city and it wouldn't have become the great city it has become. Now you can travel through it easier, buildings are being built everywhere. Yeah it was a PITA to deal with but it was needed.
@@maroon9273 are you sure they wouldnt have just done reconstruction work on it? It sounds silly to assume Big Dig or Bust! The entire reason the Big Dig was an idea was because they knew they had to do something about the Central Artery.
@@inconnu4961 The Big Dig was originally planned to include the Southeast Expressway as well as the Central Artery, but it went over budget and took so long that they didn’t get a chance to do the SE Expressway. It was enough of a hassle just to get the Central Artery finished. As a result, there are parts of the Southeast Expressway in Dorchester that still look like the Central Artery before the Big Dig, but it hasn’t collapsed.
The complaints about the cost in this story are a joke when you consider that the USA spent 25 billion a month on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan 2001-2020
Back when people actually cared about government cost overruns and financial waste. Now there is so much government debt and free money that no one cares how much anything costs.
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People simply can’t understand what this project was. You cannot fathom the massive scale and what went into making this work. You had to work in the project or live in the area before, during and after. I luckily moved to Boston in 2002 and moved out in 2017. I saw this city flourish from an empty, dirty Fenway riverway, the mess that was “big dig”, and disgusting “seaport” to a modern, clean Fenway, a beautiful surface downtown park, a state of the art 8-lane underground highway and the clean “glass city” that is seaport, the new place to hang out. Put it this way, with all their construction, New York looks the same, still dirty and messy while Boston blossomed into a clean night & day type change city.
totally agree, so lucky to go to school here after this project was finished. love this city
It really improved the city. Too bad it went on so much longer than expected. It was supposed to take 5 years, but instead went on for 17 years.
Ya it was worth it gotta modernized whenever you can might not get a chance for a couple decades
I learned to drive in the Big Dig. The first time I drove in NYC and thought it would be scary, but the Big Dig prepared me for anything. It's pretty great today, a trip from Somerville to Logan used to take close to 40 minutes, today in low traffic it only takes about 10 minutes. Boston traffic still sucks, but it sucks everyplace.
Boston Dan the brighams guy looks like Marty Walsh
There's 3 times as many people now in the city than before the big dig if it wasn't for that traffic wouldn't be so crazy
Ayyye I know this Dan guy 🤣
There’s still a lot of traffic, but putting the Central Artery underground reduced air pollution.
It’s nice but not for what it was supposed to do and for the price ? Highway robbery .
I worked on the Dig from beginning to end. It was the key to closing the door to the 20th century & opening the 21st. Boston had to do it to ensure a viable future. We're better off.
I watched it get better and better, taking my son to college there. 2002 to 2007.
Who was the general contractor?
@@MrLearn2board Bechtel and some other
AssinnippiJack I also worked the big dig LU56 worked nites for years , hard work but good work.
we still SUCK!!!!!
I'm a historian/tour guide in Boston. This project was totally worth every penny, especially when you consider what the city would be like if nothing was done (hint: it would be awful). Since the completion of the project in 2006, the economy of the Boston region has greatly expanded. Much of that growth was made possible by the Big Dig. Those cranes are all still in Boston, but they're building high-rises and corporate headquarters in South Boston, East Cambridge, Charlestown, Brighton, etc. Much of the engineering for the tunnels were things that had never been done before because of the physical constraints of building in a dense city. Air pollution is down, and even though traffic is still a problem, at least its in a tunnel underground, away from street level. The North End and waterfront have been reconnected with beautiful parks and pedestrian ways. Its made it much more enjoyable for residents and tourists. Yes, its expensive to live here and its not for everyone, blah blah, its a fantastic city that I get to show off for work! The Federal money that comes from the Boston area GDP funds the building and social programs of other states. Mass. provides more federal revenue than it gets in return in the form of federal funding (by about 20 Billion in 2020!) So Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana, Idaho, (insert red state here) you've welcome for your Social Security, interstate highways, Medicaid, and other federal programs that YOU DON'T PAY FOR but its for the greater good of us all.
And Im sure every penny that man got for the project went into the project right? Not in his pocket?
Huh
@@nativeseneca7181 Considering that the project went $12 billion over the projected budget, I think it’s safe to say that it didn’t make anyone richer.
I have worked for many years in the Back Bay (Boylston Street and then Huntington Ave) and when I used to commute from central MA, I often walked from North Station to work. The area around North Station used to be ugly and depressing, with elevated train tracks and highways darkening the neighborhood. Now the area is actually open and pleasant. Now that I live much closer to the city, I often walk that route in reverse in the spring and summer, from Back Bay TO North Station, just to see all the interesting new attractions now opening in that area.
Almost every large engineering project goes over cost because anyone who estimates a realistic price loses the contract. Companies can not get the contract for any part of a project while giving a practical estimate because the government will choose a competitor who gives a lower, less realistic estimate
nailed it! That is experience and reality talking!
Would end soon if the estimate "in the middle of the range" would have to be choosen.
That and the mob. Wink.
Plus, you have to figure inflation as well.
it's kinda sad to see them whining and moaning about the politics and budget of the Big Dig when now, it's finished and Boston is so, SOOOO much nicer for it. I wouldn't want the Big Dig to be reversed even if everyone got all their money back with interest. the greenway is a such a nice part of the city now, and I'm glad it replaced that gross overpass.
Davanthall
I’m glad you’re happy with my tax dollars paying for a city I’ll never visit
i miss the old artery
Antonio Chiappetta Good Lord, that’s such a boomer thing to say.
Antonio Chiappetta Massachusetts pays more than 25 billion dollars in federal taxes every year. And the Boston metro makeup 80% of the states GDP. Over a 20year span when the money was approved and until the project was completed, Boston residents alone probably paid a lot more than the 15 billion. Also the foundation of federalism is that the federal government could appropriate funding using the tax it collected.
Shang Li
So are you saying the money appropriated was a good thing??
Not in my opinion, sorry
I remember going to Boston in the mid 90's to visit friends and they always took me to see the Big Dig. I cannot believe it's finished.
Well...it turned out to be a huge success, and Boston is as beautiful and as convenient as ever!
@bundycamp why was failure?
@@alucardwingates447 it cost 24.3 billion dollars in total blowing its original budget by 200%. To put that in perspective the tunnel that links Great Britain to France cost 21 billion dollars.
People always complain about large projects like this one. Until the project is finished though. And they start reaping the benefits.
That's like saying people are just bitching when their grocery bill jumps up to $5,000.
The projects are worth it only if they COST appropriately.
While I generally agree, the big dig was extremely poorly managed; fraudulent in some cases.
You must not live in mass.
Eric Judkins-van buren 93 is still trash, even worse now with how many people are driving. It was a complete waste of $12 billion dollars.
Craig F. Thompson yes I completely agree there, never understood why they weren’t connected. Or just take that $12 billion and use it to expand the already existing highway, they literally did the big dig because the parkway was “unsightly” a complete waste. And they didn’t even make it more than 3 lanes.
“Oh my god!! Look at that dust, take a picture of that dust!” 🙀
Sarann K they should come to Phoenix. We have dust.
That's what my mom says when she comes to my house.
She was the chief complainer during construction. I wonder how she likes it now? 100% better! People like her helped drive costs up with new windows and mattresses, restricted work hours, sound walls, etc.
The OG Karen.
@@whackamolechamp LOL! And I bet thats after you cleaned all day to prepare, right! my mom was similar! I think they bring a bag of dirt with them just so they can complain!
Lived in Boston in 1996 and '97 and it was a mess. I haven't been back since and I cannot wait to see how different the city is now.
You will be pleasantly surprised! Not only has the Big Dig created a new green space where the elevated highway used to be, but Boston also has a cleaner harbor, a renovated harborside, a new neighborhood (Seaport) which consisted of a few parking lots when you were here last, a new public farmer’s market, less air pollution (because the Central Artery is now underground) a renovated downtown area, and so much more! The only thing it doesn’t have is affordable housing, which is a real shame. The rich just keep getting richer.
@Rebecca Haha yeah that sounds amazing other than the housing. A 4sq. ft. studio in Boston was 800-1000 per month without parking back then which was stupid expensive. I can't imagine how bad it is now.
@@rebecca8525it’s also extremely gentrified
I lived through the Big Dig, found it frustrating and confusing when I traveled to Boston. Before it was completed, I moved to GA and when the Big Dig was done, and I would fly home it was wicked awesome to travel through the tunnel and be on the Pike to and from Logan a blessing indeed. That overhead central artery was an abomination. After it was removed I never got to travel though Boston because I would fly into and out of Logan traveling from Worcester and it was a pure joy. I remember I could travel to Boston 40 mins on the Pick and it would take longer than that just to get to the tunnel to get to Logan something I hated so much. After the Big Dig getting in and out of Logan was a pure joy. It's been years since I have flown into Logan so I am not sure how it is today because the last few times I have traveled home it's been by car. I am too old to make that drive but next time I travel home I hope traveling the Pike to and from Logan is the same joy I receall and if it be so then the Big Dig was worth it's weight in gold. I now live in the Metro Altanta Area and they have 6 lanes of Highway running through Atlanta and they need 12 because its a nightmare much like everything merging in Boston with its 3 lanes.
glad they finally finished it
Awesome fresh footage. Original Content!
As a north ender i can say this was entirely worth it. Our city is absolutely gorgeous now. Loving the green way so much! Does a way better job cutting us off from the rest of boston 😍
I like the old way better. Cruising through Boston on elevated trains and highway with aromas of gas and diesel fuel. Gave the city more personality.
I wonder if Uber has put that cab driver out of business yet
What year did they start it?
2287
1875
1999
ok all asarcasm aside, the project officially started in 1982 but didn't actually begin until 1991. Thus the jokes. It took an eternity.
@@alexcoleridge1476 He didnt ask when it ended, silly! lOL
IT WAS GREAT I WAS IN CONSTRUCTION BEFORE AND DURING THAT TIME IN BOSTON ,BUT ON THE OTHER HAND IT WAS THE START OF GENTRIFICATION FOR AREAS AROUND DOWNTOWN BOSTON .
No need to yell, we can hear you fine!
2:47 Lady: "OMG, that dust! TAKE A PICTURE OF THAT DUST!"
Me: (o_O) You're a little too old to be that excited about a bit of dust blowing in the air
She probably thought it was cocaine.
That was kinda .....weird of her.
She was a yenta.
So many things… one of my uncles worked on this. Unreal really… lots of learnings. I also have friends who live in Boston, it’s an amazing city and surrounding area…. Our oldest went to Berklee school of music. My college buddy works in environmental cleanups… when we look at urban and rural and suburban works over time and space… the reality of work overlay is quite impactful.
I am positive that EVERY large civic project in the USA, particularly for transportation, goes over budget and takes longer than it was supposed to. Every one of them. I live in Honolulu and we're currently building an elevated train system that is getting the usual endless complaints, just like this did.
Not the hoover dam...
@@lhaviland8602 yes bc at the time it was in the middle of nowhere and people needed jobs desperately so if they could get one they wouldn't be complaining.
Got to pay the mob boss at the end of the day.
I gotta say more that 10 years after its completion Boston still have a huge presence in construction.
And after more than ten years, there are people that are finally getting off the central artery now!
😁
@@tailgunner2 LMAO! They were too busy staring at their phones!
So Marty Walsh actually owned a ice cream parlor before he became mayor?
Trump lol
F Marty!
Joe Walsh is the worst Mayor we ever had, but he can play a mean guitar.
This had been one of the greatest things to every happen to Boston.
Rush hour return from Logan to Downtown, about 30-40 minutes, prior to the Big Dig, through the Summer Tunnel ( Calaghan in , Summer out ).
Rush hour return from Logan to Downtown, about 10 minutes, through Ted Williams Tunnel.
That and the fact you can coast Logan towards Metro West without having to cross downtown towards the Turnpike.
And that the whole stretch between the waterfront and downtown has been reclaimed, once a dirt and convoluted swath of elevated pilings supporting I-93, which has become a magnificent open esplanade.
Cost overruns asides, and the "big leak" aside, and death causing accidents aside, it was worth it.
I had forgotten about his little rhymes to close certain stories!
The first time I traveled to Boston was in fall of 2003.
I took the Chinese charter coach from lower Manhattan. I recall seeing the heaps and heaps of construction zones on I-93 and on the street downtown
Two years later, I drove to Boston and the tunnel was actually done.
Fung Wah Bus... Gone, but not forgotten.
@@TheAvi8tor55 they still have Lucky Star for now
😉
Clearing 3 grand a week my uncle used to complain about how much taxes were taken out of his check.
Who doesnt
Rob Carstuff What does this has to do with this video?
@@studinthemaking He worked for the Big dig and for a average blue collar worker, making that much money back then was unheard of in most social circles.
We saw much of the work - taking my son to and from college during the work.
shoutout to whoever used Herbie Hancock for the background music haha
Yeah exactly! It's too bad they didn't use Rockit instead.
2:57 "you like that ? Isn't it wonderful ?" 😂😂😂
Andrew Natsios' comment at about 8:30 is spot on. Frankly, we have forgotten. And what has replaced the Central Artery is such a huge improvement.
To all the people complaining about people complaining about the Big Dig. Look, this wasn't just "an expensive project that went over budget". This project was estimated at $5.8 billion, and at the time this video was made, the estimate was increased to $8.55 billion dollars. That's not just "oops we went over budget". That's already way more, percentage-wise, than is normal. BUT IT DOESN"T END THERE. This project ended up costing over $15 billion. And then $21 billion after interest (all these numbers are adjusted for inflation). That is full on corruption and mismanagement. No one is saying this project shouldn't have been done, just that everyone who was involved in the planning of it did a terrible job and if we could go back in time to do it again we should.
I was on holidays in Boston in 99 and I went to see the big dig and I agree it was big
I remember going to the Museum of Science in Boston to see an exhbit about the Big Dig when I was in third grade. I was almost 26 by the time it was completely finished. I will say that it vastly improved traffic but I do kinda miss the views from the upper deck past Storrow Dr. At least there are videos of it on TH-cam floating around.
What a mess it was, but the results were awesome
I don't see it that way. The Ted Williams tunnel helped a little with airport trips. But other than that, traffic's worse than it was in the 90s and you're just bumper to bumper in the basement.
8:54 epic ending ! His speech mixed with the image 🤣🤣🤣
I knew a guy who rented two trucks and ran them 24hrs a day he rake in some dough and he didn't even work
Meanwhile 65 percent of the roads I drive on in the USA are old, warped, cracked, and littered with bumps and potholes. I just drove I95 yesterday through south Georgia. They are doing construction but what a mess of a road that is. Our car was just constantly jumping up and down and swaying.
Japan has nice roads, was there last summer with a rental car. The thing had 86hp but with the smooth glass feel of the roads and even transitions it made you always feel like you were a race car driver. The system just works so well. Their expansion joints on bridges dont sag like ours do. I thought I was crazy but nope. They build awesome roads that are thicker. Plus they are building more in Japan each day than America does in a month.
What does that have to do with Boston? Why should the people of Boston care about whats going on in Georgia?
@@nobrang5146 And let's not forget the Feds paid for 4 billion dollars of this massive failure. That effects more than just Boston. More than a quarter was paid by tax dollars taken from people in all states.
Don’t worry the roads still suck here in mass.
@@fhowland um wdym their so nice and smooth and well maintained. Have you ever driven in Rhode Island?
Japan isn't even as large as Florida, that has a lot to do with it...we have a boatload of open space to connect. Compared to Russia, another suitably sized country, our roads rock...plus Japan has no unions to grift millions out of every mile of construction
I remember driving into Boston to work with my dad and the big sign saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will the Big Dig!” We always had to leave no later then 5am or we could expect up to a hour of extra travel time stuck in traffic!
Thank god this project has been done for a long time. What a nightmare.
2:11 - Glory Hole?
And when they scrape the roadway before repaving we have raised manholes.
www.google.com/search?q=raised+manholes&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk02V6FNL4pRszpq8C4-FV9oFOLRePA:1582510289935&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=8Ar0Zgru_B7znM%253A%252C3DL0DzQfBEAZYM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kRG17t69sgap0DfqEhpEMQ51cEHqQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiugr2djunnAhUth-AKHXAAAi8Q9QEwAnoECAcQCA#imgrc=8Ar0Zgru_B7znM:
an i oop
The last construction project in the Commonwealth of this financial and political magnitude was Hoosac Tunnel.
Yes, the Big Dig did make the city look better. As for easing our traffic problems? It didn't even make a dent. We're rated worst city in America as far as traffic congestion and it's only getting worse.
Qonto H2S8 there’s only 1 highway in from the south shore and the MBTA is unreliable so that’s why
not true Qonto. It is better than before the Dig. But Qonto, what is your solution to Boston's traffic? Need to hear your ideas...
That's due to the amount of people here
I'd rather live in the world of Boston 20 years ago a block away from the project than what the world has turned into today.
Cities are boring today
s0nnyburnett stop your whining. The world is much better then 100 years ago.
@@davidschneider9264 He is talking about 20 years ago
Hmmm... lots to unpack here.
I wonder if that Nancy woman uses the tunnel or not.
David Alexandrovitch she’s probably dead by now this video was filmed in the 1990’s and 2000’s
No. But I bet she walks along the greenway!
I have a friend who was a construction supervisor on the big dig. He told me stories about the payoffs, the shoddy workmanship, the workmen who were paid only to clock in and clock out, but never did any work, the substandard materials and flawed engineering, the frequent collapses, and a number of other shocking practices and events. The big dig is emblematic of a city infamous for its corruption.
Then he was part of the problem.
Far and away… trappings of time and space…. And so many learnings. If we look… and listen. Oddly… Cincinnati’s and Orlando and stake holders over time and space… Orlando.
Yet, translation and transportation… sure… intersections. But as the means of lense… not so much. But… very very impactful. Prometheus and primers of ACA and beyond. Fascinating really.
The Big Dig did it really make things better cause traffic is still horrific going through Boston. 93 North and South in the mornings is like a parking lot most of the time. I'm sure the Big Dig helped out but no one took into account how much traffic would be in the future.
Of course they took into account how much traffic could increase. The 3 lane Charlestown High Bridge was replaced with the 10 lane Zakim and entire Ted Williams 4-6 tunnel was added. The issue is that traffic will always expand as a city expands; you can only build so much highway. This is part of why there were conditions in the bill that mandated increased spending on the T. Some has been done (e.g. Silver line) and some is yet to be done (e.g. Green Line extension through Medford), but traffic is undeniably better than it would've been if the Big Dig hadn't happened.
It always gets lost that I93 pre big dig and post dig was never meant to be the sole main highway through Boston, it was only one link/arterial of a larger highway system that was never completed. Wether that would have been good, bad, ugly for Boston it doesn’t change the fact that it was part of an incomplete system.
I commute daily from the North to State st. What many don’t realize is every night many lanes are closed for maintenance. What they are doing I don’t know. There are obvious leaks they must repair otherwise it will freeze/thaw during winter seasons and destroy the infrastructure but every night lanes are closed. The Airport/State St exit is often diverted to South Station exit. Its amazing this ongoing repairs just do not end. I am fully aware of pm (preventative maintenance) but this does not stop. And changing light bulbs must literally cost hundreds of thousands if dollars with the lane closures, Trooper support, and dozens of crew changing a light bulb or two. Above ground things look amazing compared to the behemoth that existed prior.
how do you estimate a job like that
I Miss Charles!!
Plato’s cave and beyond… the possible, actual, should and is and can and will… lots of choices and work
When you build something that has never been done... it’s near impossible to estimate accurately... get over it
It ended up being worth it. Boston is 100X better without that massive overhead freeway.
I still refuse to drive in Boston and will only take the T, but getting rid of all that traffic has also been great for non-drivers
You definitely need nerves of steel in certain places! And parking is still a nightmare!
They obviously had an MIT mathematics professor who did nothing but calculate how much space all the dirt and stuff would occupy.
I understand the lady was upset that construction was going on but Jesus lady it’s called progress, moving forward. ( I realize this comment is 30 years late lol
@6:11 are they still giving tours of the big dig being built? i bet the tour costs $$$ now
The Big Dig was finished in 2007, so no. However, there are city tours that include parts of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, which is the park built in the space where the elevated highway once was. I am a tour guide for one of them, and I tell the guests all about the Big Dig when we get to that point.
we shut down one side of a 300ft bridge and get harassed for months a cant imagine being on this job ...but i would love it
We need 2 new train tunnels under the Hudson here in NJ and NY.
Old one is over 100 years old.
Will it be ready at he time the gas runs out
I am not for the big dig or against it but i will say that everybody complains about the noise about the Dust about the congestion that construction creates but they never seem to complain about the finished product and they don't seem to understand all that goes in to doing and completing a job of this nature I will say this it's pretty hard estimate a job of this size to get an accurate cost analysis due to the fact that there are so many variables involved type of soil and environmental cost overruns labor so many things can happen
We in Boston thank all for their financial contributions.
LMAO! You are very welcome! It was a pleasure & privilege sending every last dim to the hub of the universe! Hey if you got some change to spare, we would like to fix some of our roads too! would you mind?
The biggest issue why would anyone halt work on a project like this. For free tours time is money
I remember friends who used to go to work on it and it was so large they literally could disappear and get paid for doing nothing lol
ive never been to boston 😎
Steppin On My Toes Google Rose Kennedy Greenway; it’s absolutely beautiful now 🌸
I think at the end it was worth it
No, because the roads in the rest of the state suffered for it, and still do today.
During the big dig, towns were lucky to have the money to repaint the lines along state routes. Good luck getting a road paved during that time.
The then Governor Weld threw Western Mass a lifeline of money right before construction began, warning to rebuild whatever roads we could ASAP because once the Big Dig starts, there will not be any money left and he knew it.
Today, the sheer cost of maintaining that tunnel saps away money from the rest of the state (Again). And driving to Boston, even at 6 in the morning, is a nightmare. No wonder why tradesmen charge so much, especially service calls, it takes hours just to get anywhere with the van to work.
i lived on stillman st in 1992. they were just starting to reroute traffic for the dig.
Amazing project. I bet Nancy is embarrassed by her comments now.
All my shortcuts are gone.
It would have been cheaper & easier to rebuild Boston on the Moon! Lol
Does anyone know why the state didn’t lease “air rights” on the land above the new big dig? NYC did that when they buried their rail lines underground and it more than paid for that project. Having the “green way” in Boston is nice, but having reoccurring revenue from that free space would of been better.
They did, they leased out 20+ parcels above the new dig. But they also kept the core section as a linear park because that's what bostonians asked for
Anyone get a feeling that this seems older then 2016 ?
It says it in the description, o the video is made from 2000.
emizilla ok
we probably all got some kind of cancer living for ten years with all of this . horrid .
So what did happen to all that dirt?
FISHMAC lots of parks and green space throughout greater Boston
They filled in the Quincy quarries with alit or it.
@@gopats1970 and dumped the rest onto Spectacle Island and turned it into a park
When did it end
The project was finished in 2007
The construction ended in 2007, but the park wasn’t completed until 2008.
This was a big Project
The guy in the beginning with the hard hat and the tie looks like a young Louis CK
The Big Dig needed to be done, traffic was choking and killing the city and it wouldn't have become the great city it has become. Now you can travel through it easier, buildings are being built everywhere. Yeah it was a PITA to deal with but it was needed.
Had the central artery stayed. The highway would have collapse.
@@maroon9273 are you sure they wouldnt have just done reconstruction work on it? It sounds silly to assume Big Dig or Bust! The entire reason the Big Dig was an idea was because they knew they had to do something about the Central Artery.
@@inconnu4961 The Big Dig was originally planned to include the Southeast Expressway as well as the Central Artery, but it went over budget and took so long that they didn’t get a chance to do the SE Expressway. It was enough of a hassle just to get the Central Artery finished. As a result, there are parts of the Southeast Expressway in Dorchester that still look like the Central Artery before the Big Dig, but it hasn’t collapsed.
Marvelous project
All kudos to the Team
Not simple to work on non virgin land and construct under a working city full of utilities.
Health, climate and tools… Framingham and beyond.
Did you see that dust? Wretched construction workers
Marty Walsh serving ice cream
All they did was put all the traffic underground there was no relief in congestion
But it did reduce air pollution
Glad it’s finished and people in Boston can enjoy the new areas that have been opened up but was it worth it in tax payer dollars?
Will I still be alive upon completion?
If you are in your 20's, yes you will!
@@inconnu4961 awe.... I’m past 30, but fit like 20 something... still have a good chance!
It was finished in 2008, so yes.
Intro song?
"Chameleon" by Herbie Hancock.
One of the greatest jams of all time 🐐
This hole built an ecosystem around it 😂
Inflated costs, government is horrible at everything
nice. Greetings from Florida
Colombo Man Floriduh
This is how you take back your cities from cars
hi I said Boston today
The complaints about the cost in this story are a joke when you consider that the USA spent 25 billion a month on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan 2001-2020
Back when people actually cared about government cost overruns and financial waste. Now there is so much government debt and free money that no one cares how much anything costs.
Lmao Boston sooo corrupt you know everyone had their hands in this clusterfuck of a cookie jar 😭😭😭
Remember 'Manny being Manny'? Well thats Democrats being Democrats!
Inertia and wagging tails and better feedback loops
ah, the Bahstan accent...still legally considered birth control in 49 states. Banacek for senate!
Ryan Neidlinger why does everyone say Bahstan. No one pronounces it that way
@@FiftiesDad that is what it sounds like to me, when they talk to me..which i try to avoid
Ryan Neidlinger cringe bro
Not nearly as effective for birth control as the rebel flag.
@@ELRIFL maybe where you're from, but not down here. unless you are looking for jungle fever
Why the creepy sun logo
It's a channel logo
Daniel M. It’s the logo of CBS Sunday Morning program 🌞
Go Sox…. Truly…