Big Dig or Big Bust?

Big Dig or Big Bust? Boston traffic was once considered to be one of the worst cities in which to drive due to intense traffic problems. They Central Artery opened in 1959, designed to carry approximately 75,000 cars per day. As time went on, the highway had to support nearly 200,000 cars per day (Massachusetts Turnpike Authority). This created a sticky jam for Boston motorists as traffic crawled along the highway for more than ten hours every day.

Traffic accidents climbed to more than four times the national average, as the congestion spilled into the tunnels and other streets (Massachusetts Turnpike Authority). Boston became known for its traffic problems, not the opportunities that it had to offer. The Challenges The Central Artery had other effects as well. Nearly 20,000 residents were displaced, and entire neighborhoods were cut off from downtown opportunities (Massachusetts Turnpike Authority). The traffic snags significantly reduced the quality of life for Boston residents and businesses.

In response to these challenges, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority decided to replace the existing six-lane elevated highway with an 8-10 lane highway directly below the existing highway. This would result in a total of 14 lanes to relieve traffic congestion (Massachusetts Turnpike Authority). This infrastructure would supposedly alleviate the traffic problem, providing better access to the downtown area. The Central Artery project presented many unique challenges, placing it on a level with projects such as the Panama Canal and the English Channel (Massachusetts Turnpike Authority).

The key problem was that the project had to be accomplished without bringing the city to a screeching halt. Making certain that all of Boston's citizens are treated fairly is called mitigation, which sucked away more than one quarter of the project's entire budget (Massachusetts Turnpike Authority). The Costs The Big Dig was completed in 2005, costing $14.8 billion dollars (Gelinas). The Big Dig is an excellent example of using accounting to gain public approval.

In the beginning of the project, costs were consistently lower than the actual price tag (Gelinas).The initial costs were slated for nearly $2.6 billion. When one considers inflation that amounts to nearly $5.6 billion at today's prices (Gelinas). One of the key reasons for the high costs associated with the Big Dig is that contractors were allowed to begin certain phases of the project before the designs were finalized (Gelinas).

This created an engineering nightmare from unanticipated problems and changes, raising the final price tag of the project to much higher than initially anticipated. To mitigate these unanticipated expenditures, certain portions of the project were left out of the project, like the rebuilding of the Zakim Bridge (Gelinas). Instead, changes such as these were given their own separate budget, separate from the Big Dig. This way, costly changes could be kept out of the public eye.

One of the most important factors in the Big Dig was the ability to gain and maintain public support. The public was kept in the dark about the real costs of the project. When Massachusetts Governor Weld could not find the funds to continue the project, he passed it on to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. This entity was not accountable to the public, as with the Governor's office. This added a layer of insulation to those ultimately in charge of the project (Gelinas).

It became unclear who was in charge of the Big Dig. No one wished to claim responsibility and the blame for all of the problems. Costs mounted and contractors began to feel the heat. They began to find any way possible to cut costs. As a result of these cost reductions, they decided to use a lighter weight ceiling material than was originally drafted (Gelinas). After the ceiling collapsed, killing a worker, publicity began to criticize the success and honesty of the Big Dig (Gelinas).

The project became the center of Boston scandal rumors. The ceiling was then replaced with a heavier version that proved too heavy for the existing support system (Gelinas). The problem ended up to be a faulty glue, but the end result was that the job had to be redone, costing even more money than had they done it right the first time. Inspections were never performed, which was determined to be the ultimate reason for the death of the worker (Gelinas).

This is only one example of wasted money and cost cutting on the Big Dig. These problems were key reasons for the eventual wave of public distrust regarding the final product. The Big Dig has been termed a big disaster by some. In August of 2006, a concrete ceiling panel crashed to the ground, killing travelers on the way to pick up relatives from the Logan International Airport (Cohen). This disaster served to further destroy public confidence in the success of the project.

Cost cutting measures and engineering problems will remain a ghost that will haunt the project for years to come. The costs of the Big Dig are compounded by the litigation that followed concerning inferior construction, fraud, and more serious cases. In the case of the couple that was killed, the city was considering manslaughter charges for knowingly using flawed building materials (Cohen). These lawsuits are not a direct cost that is in the accounting books of the Big Dig, but they represent real costs of construction.

The city still has to fund the litigation and pay restitutions to those who were harmed. These cases also bring further doubt as to the safety of the tunnel system, as millions of Boston resident pass through them on their way to carry out their daily business. The original contractors still claim that that the tunnels are safe (Cohen). Benefits In addition to reducing the city's pollution is eliminating congestion, the project created green space that did not exist before the project.

Fill dirt and clay were used to cap an old dump on Spectacle Island and several other dumps around the city (Massachusetts Turnpike Authority). This land was used to create parks for the enjoyment of Boston's citizens. Infrastructure is necessary for growth and a healthy economy. Without adequate transportation, an economy cannot grow and survive. Three years after workers took down the old central artery, the results of the Big Dig became evident. Transit time to through downtown at rush hour is down from 20 minutes to nearly three minutes (Gelinas).

Travel speeds have increased from 10 mph to 43 mph. In addition, airport trips are between one-half and three-quarters shorter (Gelinas). On the average, this means a 62% drop in time spent on the road. It is estimated that this saved Boston residents $200 million annually in time and fuel (Gelinas). The Big Dig had other benefits as well. In 2004, commercial properties along the old Artery increased their value by 79% in 15 years (Gelinas). This is nearly double the average increase across the city of 41% (Gelinas).

Many business improvements and expansions were started in neighborhoods that used to be inaccessible. The North End's Italian Restaurants have enjoyed open access in an area that was once obscured by the old Artery (Gelinas). There are new signs of life everywhere in portions of the city that were once in decay. The Big Dig extended the area that is within a 40-minute drive time from the Logan International Airport (Economic Development Research Group).

It is estimated that the Big Dig will amount to an annual increase of $100-120 million in property tax revenues (Economic Development Research Group). These revenues will add to the city economy and eventually negate the impact of the Big Dig. Was it Worth it? First estimates for construction work seldom tell the final tale. Nonetheless, they are the benchmark, against which the project will be measured in the end. Unanticipated challenges and changes are a part of the construction industry.

Even with the best planning available, things happen during a project that cannot be anticipated, but which cost money to fix. The manner in which accountants hid the real costs of the Big Dig from Boston residents is more of a problem than the actual numbers and costs. This created a sense of public distrust. The biggest blunder in the Big Dig was a public relations one.

In the future, Boston residents will probably be more leery of accounting figures and will want to hold contractors more accountable for their actions. The conscious decision to withhold the real costs of the project were made under the assumption that the public would be so happy about early improvements, such as the Ted Williams Tunnel, that they would be less concerned with the financial aspects of the project. City planners were wrong and soon found themselves accused of misleading investors (Gelinas).

During the building of the Big Dig, Boston residents were not so happy with the manner in which the project went. However, in the aftermath, polls demonstrate that Boston residents and investors are responding favorably to the improvements (Gelinas). The Big Dig may always weigh in the minds of those who witnessed it as one of the greatest foibles in Massachusetts history, but in the end, the benefits that residents have received far outweighs the problems during its construction.

The Big Dig continues to be a source of safety concern, particularly regarding the structural integrity of the concrete ceiling panels. Undoubtedly, this issue has some Bostonians looking up as they drive through the tunnels. However, the ceiling collapse also brought attention to the problem. Although not much was reported about future actions, this would have reasonably triggered an inspection of other parts of the tunnel.

Officials are confident about the integrity of the rest of the tunnel and one can rest assured that they do not wish to have any further "incidents" regarding the tunnel. The construction industry is filled with unknown factors that cannot possibly be foreseen, even with the best planning. The Big Dig was relatively low incident, compared to other construction projects. No one will argue that even one incident is one incident too many, but things happen on other construction projects too. Cost overruns are common, as are unforeseen engineering challenges.

The Big Dig had its fair share of these occurrences. The only difference is that the Big Dig was in the public eye from the beginning. It was not page 3 news, it was headline news. When analyzing the impact of the Big Dig, there are many factors to consider. From a financial standpoint, the project may be termed a big disaster. It is true that there is a considerable amount of sticker shock involved in the Big Dig. However, the Big Dig also resulted in revenue increases for the city.

Commuters no longer think of Boston and associate it.