Big Dig

'You're gonna follow me in the city of Boston. Welcome to hell."

adamg — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:34:15 -0400

Trailer for Mel Gibson's "Edge of Darkness," which features follows a man as he drives home to Roslindale in a typical afternoon commute through the O'Neill Tunnel (via Sam Baltrusis):

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Turnpike vows carmageddon if it doesn't get its way

adamg — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:58:49 -0400

Warns it will shut down tunnels, highways it controls inside 128 if anti-toll people get a restraining order in court today. You know, like the entire Big Dig complex.

The driver was not a BU freshman

adamg — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:11:40 -0400

$15 billion and what do you get? A tunnel that's already too small for some trucks, that's what. The Globe reports the driver of a bigger than big rig smashed into an overhead sign in the Ted Williams Tunnel, then just kept going, at least, until some staties caught up with him on the Expressway in Dorchester.

The ties that bind in Massachusetts tend to be green

adamg — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:02:41 -0400

Kevin Cullen does a nice job explaining how a company that paid a $50-million fine for supplying substandard concrete for the Big Dig is now getting state road contracts again.

State faces new lawsuit over the Big Dig

adamg — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:16:11 -0400

This time it's from a group of motorists who want the return of all money the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has funneled to the Big Dig, Blue Mass. Group reports. The Massachusetts Turnpike Equity Trust says:

We have organized a trust approved by the Middlesex Probate Court that is open to any MassPike toll payer who has paid tolls at Route 128, Allston/Brighton, Sumner/Callahan Tunnels, or the Ted Williams Tunnel. We are trying to remedy and change the unfair toll collection policies of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority documents indicate that up to 58 cents of every dollar collected on the Boston Extension (from route 128 into Boston), and the Sumner/Callahan and Ted Williams tunnels is unlawfully diverted to pay for the Central Artery project ("Big Dig"). We toll payers are fed up with our toll monies being diverted unfairly to pay for the costs associated with the "Big Dig" - an unlawful tax that has unfairly burdened toll payers and bankrupted the Turnpike Authority. We urge other toll payers to join us in our fight for the return of our unlawfully expropriated toll monies.

Their lawyer is Jan Schlichtman, the guy who led the Woburn toxic-chemicals-in-the-water lawsuit.

Man who helped give us the Big Dig feigns innocence of Big Dig

adamg — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:35:33 -0500

Our new transportation secretary, appointed in the middle of a snowstorm for minimum effect, tells the Globe he doesn't know what "Big Dig culture" means:

When asked yesterday whether he was a part of the Big Dig culture, Aloisi said: "I don't even know what that phrase means."

At Blue Mass. Group, David provides a handy little primer for Mr. Aloisi - whose new boss made getting rid of "Big Dig culture" part of his campaign, concludes:

... The unanswered question -- for Aloisi, for the Governor, and for all of us -- is whether Aloisi is the right guy to navigate the state's transportation bureaucracy out of that culture, and into the new era of reform that we've been promised. For all of our sakes, I sure hope so.

For all you Central Artery fans

adamg — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:42:33 -0500

Matt Laskowski stitched together an interesting aerial view using some Microsoft Live overhead images to show how things have changed since the Central Artery was taken down.

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An architect of Big Dig mess set to become next state transportation czar

adamg — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:47:39 -0500

Heradl reports: Bernard Cohen quits, Patrick looks ready to appoint former Turnpike Authority lawyer James Aloisi to deal with financial mess left over from Big Dig. Oh, and the T.

Better today than tomorrow

garrett3000 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:10:10 -0500

Boston.com is reporting that a truck has jackknifed in the Leaking Tunnel

So that was a good use of $22 billion

adamg — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:13:54 -0500

Globe study: All the Big Dig did was push traffic congestion elsewhere.