A lot has been said about the construction of the Big Dig. The highs and lows but most strikingly the death of the woman when concrete slabs from the ongoing construction fell on her car as she was heading to the airport and the four deaths of workers in the Big Dig while at work(Poole & Samuel, 2011). Another matter of concern is the large costs of $14 billion it took to construct the 8 lane road from an initial estimated cost of $2 billion(Smith, 2007). A cost that the government is still struggling to pay off and is estimated to end up costing $24 billion when calculated with the interest.
The massive construction cost has led to a lot of criticism for the project and the government’s ability to manage large projects(WSDOT, 2010). Most debates fall on either there was a large misappropriation of funds and corruption involved in the project or the government deceived the public into believing that the project would cost much less. As a result of this issues, the worth of the Big Dig has been put into question by a lot of people.
Misappropriation of funds was a huge blow to the country’s public relations. Moreover, there were cases of the use of substandard concrete and leaks that happened during the ongoing construction. Nonetheless, the Big Dig has still had a positive impact on the lives of many Boston residents. It has cleared up the traffic congestion that plagued Boston residents(Sompayrac, 2002). Boston residents would be stuck in traffic for even over four hours before the construction.
It has also improved the environment. The long hours of cars stuck in traffic led to more gas emissions from motor vehicles. An environmental assessment done after the construction of the big deal revealed that carbon monoxide levels in the city dropped by 12 percent(Smith, 2007). The Big Dig is also an aesthetic attraction and an architectural marvel for many. Most Boston residents say that they cannot imagine life without the highway. In the long run, the Big Dig has improved lives. In my opinion, the Big Dig was indeed worth it.
References
Poole, R. W., & Samuel, P. (2011). Transportation Mega-Projects and Risk. Reason Foundation, 2(3), 18-23.
Smith, M. W. (2007). Boston ’ s “ Big Dig ”: A Socio-Historical and Political Analysis of Malfeasance and Official Deviance. Boston: Boston inc.
Sompayrac, L. (2002). How the Big Dig is transforming Boston. Developmental Biology, 2(4), 4–9.
WSDOT. (2010). A Comparison of the Big Dig and the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program.Boston: Engineering inc.
