Big Dig Boston, a titanic challenge

It is now about 22 years, the authorities of the city of Boston (United States of America), knowing that the previsions were predicting the total collapse of the main urban highway in the city, they decided to embark on a mammoth project that consisted in the replacement of the old 6-lane elevated highway that crosses the downtown of Boston by an underground one with between 8 and 10 lanes, located just below the previous one, in addition of a new ramp connecting the centre of the city with the airport, Logan.

The project would also include the crossing over the Charles River of two bridges, with 14 lanes, a tunnel of steel tube submerged under the port of Boston, the demolition of the old elevated highway and the creation of more than 100 hectares of parks and opened spaces. The project came to be known popularly as the “Big Dig” (The large excavation).

The “Big Dig” is the largest and most elaborate project of urban infrastructure in the history of the United States of America. It is also considered the road project with more technological challenges in the world.

Although the project was been taken afoot many years ago, it began in 1983 with the drafting of the feasibility and environmental impact reports.

The project was approved in 1987, but the construction did not begin until 1991. In its initial prevision the project would have a cost of 2,600 million dollars, but today, not yet fully completed the project, the amount of costs are more than 14,000 million dollars.

Currently, after 14 years of construction, the project is carried out in a 97%, although there have been producing partial openings of different sections as they have been finalizing the construction.

It is hoped that the remaining works will be completed this year.

The works have been slowly changing the daily tasks of the city. For the residents who live near the areas of the excavations has become very customary to see cranes over 200 tons passing in front of their homes, with heights that are equivalent to 14 floors building. These cranes are used to set the beams of more than 80 tons of weight. These beams exert up to 600 tons of pressure on the walls of the large tunnel to keep the buildings’ walls that are above safe. This is just one example of the enormity of the actions that have been necessary to carry out this project.

At the website of the authority in charge of the project we can find photo galleries that are set in chronologically order, which will delight fans of megaconstructions. We can also download videos with simulations of the project once completed, and plans of the project.

You can find more information about the project on the Wikipedia’s respective article or on the MTA’s official website (organ promoter of the project).