Big Dig Case Study

Decent Essays
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T), commonly referred to as the Big Dig, was a

construction megaproject that took place in Boston, Massachusetts from 1982 to 2007 [1]. While there

were many aspects to the project, the main goal of the project was to replace large parts of the highway

infrastructure in the center of the city. The project has become infamous for vastly exceeding its

intended budget. The initially estimated budget and completion date of $2.8 billion and 1998 ballooned

into a cost of over $8 billion (when adjusted for 1982 dollars) and completion date of 2007 [2].

The Big Dig was a vast project, and encompassed many subtasks within it. Major tasks include

the construction of the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel, the Ted
…show more content…
It used a unique hybrid design

integrating various materials for its frame. This bridge replaced the old double-decker bridge that was

often the site of huge traffic delays backing up for miles going into the city. [4] Figure ____ below shows

an image of the completed Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge.
The Big Dig had various challenges during its construction, one of which was dealing with the

existing utility lines scattered underneath the city. Figure _____ below shows the utility lines at one

location before and after the Big Dig construction took place. The final result is much more organized

and orderly, but cost the project precious time and money.
Overall, the Big Dig was a hugely expensive and broadly scoped project that both cost the state

of Massachusetts dearly as well as providing a much better traffic and infrastructure solution to the

downtown Boston area. A project of this size and scope has many lessons that can be learned from it.

We have complied _____ lessons that we believe future similar projects can learn

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