The Big Dig Case Study
2.2 Problems concerning the Big Dig
The Big Dig is known as a project which exceeded the planned costs with an enormous
amount. Numerous misjudgements and mistakes are made. And not only the costs are
exceeded, but also the construction time is doubled. Everything that caused these extra
costs (from ✩2.8 billion planned to a final cost of ✩14.6 billion) and delays and all the
social consequences will be discussed in this chapter.
2.2.1 Conrete
In 2005 the Massachusetts State Police found evidence that the concrete used for the
tunnel did not meet the contract specifications. The concrete used was not good enough.
Also engineers from MIT investigated the concrete and found out that there was too
much gravel and other debris in the …show more content…
In 2004 a major leak resulted in the temporary closure of the I-93 so the leak
could be repaired. In total more than 500 leaks were discovered by Turnpike officials.
What made the leaks even worse was the presence of salt water. Because the Boston
Harbor contains salt water, the water found in the tunnel was also salt. This made the
damage to the steel constructions even worse.
The leaks resulted in cost overruns and extra construction time. Also the temporary
closure of the I-93 resulted in many traffic jams. Because these leaks were a clear mistake
of the involved companies, they had to pay the extra costs. At the end the aggregate
companies had to pay ✩100 million for repairing and delay costs. Of course these mistakes
had a big influence on the society. Because of this the building time took much longer
and the people in Boston had to live in the mess even longer.
2.3 Social Benefits 2 CENTRAL ARTERY/TUNNEL PROJECT BOSTON
2.2.2 Fatal Incident
On July the 10, 2006 a fatal accident happened in the tunnel. A part of the ceiling in
the tunnel connecting the I-90 and the I-93, collapsed and landed on a car killing one of
the passengers. The cause of this disaster could be found in the used bolts and the …show more content…
Furthermore, the improvement of infrastructure
leads to economic improvement. With the new tunnel, travelling time from the city cen- tre to the airport has decreased drastically, which is an improvement for the economy.
The savings from the Big Dig because of a decrease of travel time is calculated at ✩166
million a year.
Traffic jams can have a bad influence on your mood. A study proved that when people
spend a lot of time in traffic jams, they become annoyed. low traffic speed and long travel
times can even lead to an increase of your blood pressure [?]. So the Big Dig created a
situation for the society which is less unpleasant.
2.3.2 Benefits For The City
As you can see in figure 4, the appearance of the city improved a lot. The ugly highway
that divided the city in two parts is gone and replaced by a park and a much smaller
road. People used to complain about the enormous amount of noise that came from the
highway. Since the big dig the noise disturbance decreased a lot. Also, due to the tunnel,
the carbon monoxide emission decreased with 12% which improved the air quality. So it
can be said that the quality of living in the city of Boston did increase.
Figure 4: Transformation of the
The Big Dig is known as a project which exceeded the planned costs with an enormous
amount. Numerous misjudgements and mistakes are made. And not only the costs are
exceeded, but also the construction time is doubled. Everything that caused these extra
costs (from ✩2.8 billion planned to a final cost of ✩14.6 billion) and delays and all the
social consequences will be discussed in this chapter.
2.2.1 Conrete
In 2005 the Massachusetts State Police found evidence that the concrete used for the
tunnel did not meet the contract specifications. The concrete used was not good enough.
Also engineers from MIT investigated the concrete and found out that there was too
much gravel and other debris in the …show more content…
In 2004 a major leak resulted in the temporary closure of the I-93 so the leak
could be repaired. In total more than 500 leaks were discovered by Turnpike officials.
What made the leaks even worse was the presence of salt water. Because the Boston
Harbor contains salt water, the water found in the tunnel was also salt. This made the
damage to the steel constructions even worse.
The leaks resulted in cost overruns and extra construction time. Also the temporary
closure of the I-93 resulted in many traffic jams. Because these leaks were a clear mistake
of the involved companies, they had to pay the extra costs. At the end the aggregate
companies had to pay ✩100 million for repairing and delay costs. Of course these mistakes
had a big influence on the society. Because of this the building time took much longer
and the people in Boston had to live in the mess even longer.
2.3 Social Benefits 2 CENTRAL ARTERY/TUNNEL PROJECT BOSTON
2.2.2 Fatal Incident
On July the 10, 2006 a fatal accident happened in the tunnel. A part of the ceiling in
the tunnel connecting the I-90 and the I-93, collapsed and landed on a car killing one of
the passengers. The cause of this disaster could be found in the used bolts and the …show more content…
Furthermore, the improvement of infrastructure
leads to economic improvement. With the new tunnel, travelling time from the city cen- tre to the airport has decreased drastically, which is an improvement for the economy.
The savings from the Big Dig because of a decrease of travel time is calculated at ✩166
million a year.
Traffic jams can have a bad influence on your mood. A study proved that when people
spend a lot of time in traffic jams, they become annoyed. low traffic speed and long travel
times can even lead to an increase of your blood pressure [?]. So the Big Dig created a
situation for the society which is less unpleasant.
2.3.2 Benefits For The City
As you can see in figure 4, the appearance of the city improved a lot. The ugly highway
that divided the city in two parts is gone and replaced by a park and a much smaller
road. People used to complain about the enormous amount of noise that came from the
highway. Since the big dig the noise disturbance decreased a lot. Also, due to the tunnel,
the carbon monoxide emission decreased with 12% which improved the air quality. So it
can be said that the quality of living in the city of Boston did increase.
Figure 4: Transformation of the