The Big Dig
GBH News
There is a cynicism that hangs over the topic of American infrastructure – whether it’s high-speed rail or off-shore wind – it feels like this country can’t build big things anymore. No one project embodies that cynicism quite like what Bostonians call ‘The Big Dig.’ Infamous for its ever-increasing price tag, this massive highway tunneling effort was once ridiculed as the Big Mess, the Big Hole, the Big Pig, the Big Lie. But now, decades later the story looks more complicated. So how did the narrative around this project go so horribly wrong? And what lessons can it offer for the ambitious projects of today?The nine episode series is produced by GBH News in partnership with PRX.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 12, 2024 • 3min
A note from The Big Dig team
Just dropping in to share some news about the show, and what's coming next.
Nov 15, 2023 • 38min
Hearts and Minds
Part 9: It’s been fifty years since the Big Dig was first conceived, thirty years since construction began, more than a dozen years since it was completed – and the final twist is: the project has largely delivered on its promises. How do we reconcile that reality with the scandal and outrage we’ve heard so much about?Credits:Host and scriptwriter: Ian CossExecutive Producer: Devin Maverick RobinsProducers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian CossEditor: Lacy RobertsEditorial Advisor: Stephanie LeydonFact Checker: Lisa WardleScoring and Music Supervision: Ian CossProject Manager: Meiqian He
Nov 8, 2023 • 57min
I Want Justice for What Happened
Part 8: Just as the project turns the corner towards completion, its entire legacy becomes clouded. The tunnels are leaking, concrete suppliers are being arrested, and everyday drivers are forced to wonder: are these tunnels safe?Credits:Host and scriptwriter: Ian CossExecutive Producer: Devin Maverick RobinsProducers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian CossEditor: Lacy RobertsEditorial Advisor: Stephanie LeydonFact Checker: Lisa WardleScoring and Music Supervision: Ian CossProject Manager: Meiqian He
Nov 1, 2023 • 57min
The Turnpike Revolt
Part 7: By the year 2000, the Big Dig has passed through many hands, but in its final years a power struggle spills into public view – over who will determine the project’s fate, and who will take responsibility for its mistakes.Credits:Host and scriptwriter: Ian CossExecutive Producer: Devin Maverick RobinsProducers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian CossEditor: Lacy RobertsEditorial Advisor: Stephanie LeydonFact Checker: Lisa WardleScoring and Music Supervision: Ian CossProject Manager: Meiqian He
Oct 25, 2023 • 50min
The Up Down Charts
Part 6: As work progresses through the 1990s and the tunnels take shape, the true cost of the Big Dig remains unknown to the public, until a series of revelations pulls down the curtain and shakes confidence in the whole project.Credits:Host and scriptwriter: Ian CossExecutive Producer: Devin Maverick RobinsProducers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian CossEditor: Lacy RobertsEditorial Advisor: Stephanie LeydonFact Checker: Lisa WardleScoring and Music Supervision: Ian CossProject Manager: Meiqian He
Oct 18, 2023 • 54min
Hatchet Man vs. the 800 Pound Gorilla
Part 5: In 1991, the Big Dig is handed off to a new leader – the brash, aggressive, hatchet-toting Jim Kerasiotes – who makes it clear he plans to shake things up. The one thing he can’t shake is the equally aggressive private company managing the project. Now they have to work together.Credits:Host and scriptwriter: Ian CossExecutive Producer: Devin Maverick RobinsProducers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian CossEditor: Lacy RobertsEditorial Advisor: Stephanie LeydonFact Checker: Lisa WardleScoring and Music Supervision: Ian CossProject Manager: Meiqian He
Oct 11, 2023 • 56min
The Double Cross
Part 4: The project faces an unexpected challenge on the home front: resistance from local environmentalists and residents – the very people the Big Dig was intended to please. Now, they say that Fred Salvucci has lost his way.Credits:Host and scriptwriter: Ian CossExecutive Producer: Devin Maverick RobinsProducers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian CossEditor: Lacy RobertsEditorial Advisor: Stephanie LeydonFact Checker: Lisa WardleScoring and Music Supervision: Ian CossProject Manager: Meiqian He
Oct 4, 2023 • 54min
All Politics is Local
Part 3: The Big Dig needs federal funding. House Speaker Tip O’Neill is determined to get it; President Ronald Reagan is determined to stop it – setting up a final showdown in one of the great political rivalries of the 20th century.Credits:Host and scriptwriter: Ian CossExecutive Producer: Devin Maverick RobinsProducers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian CossEditor: Lacy RobertsEditorial Advisor: Stephanie LeydonFact Checker: Lisa WardleScoring and Music Supervision: Ian CossProject Manager: Meiqian He
6 snips
Sep 27, 2023 • 52min
Unholy Alliance
Fred Salvucci, a former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation and highway opponent, discusses the radical 1970s initiative to replace Boston’s elevated highway with an underground tunnel. He highlights the unexpected alliances that formed amidst competing tunnel projects and the fierce community activism that shaped urban infrastructure. Salvucci also touches on the impact of political shifts, including the influence of Ronald Reagan's presidency on funding, and shares insights into how grassroots efforts transformed transportation planning in Boston.
36 snips
Sep 27, 2023 • 54min
We Were Wrong
Fred Salvucci, a key figure in the anti-highway movement, shares his compelling journey from highway critic to shaping urban planning. He discusses the ironic history of the Big Dig, a monumental project born from a disdain for highways. Listeners learn about the grassroots activism in the 1960s that challenged destructive state plans, the emotional toll of displacement on communities, and the significant shift towards prioritizing people over infrastructure. Salvucci’s experiences reveal the deep connections between urban development and community welfare.
