Thursday, July 17, 2008

You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

The Globe is breaking a big story in today's paper on the Big Dig, the gift that keeps on giving. (Warning: If you have high blood pressure, read no more.)

What started out as a $2.8 billion project in 1985 is today projected by the Globe to cost $22 billion (that's $7 billion more than the last estimate). And to think some of the Big Dig boosters still think it's a bargain!
The Big Dig, officially known as the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, has been beset by financial and other problems including the death of one person. It's funding has also rested on a myth, says the Globe. The state taxpayers' share of the mega-project is a staggering 73 percent. And it's going to get worse. State transportation officials are considering increasing tolls on the turnpike and adding them on I-93.

Hindsight being 20/20, there are many unintended consequences on staking the state's future on what's nothing more than an urban beautification project that happens to serve as a road. One reason for the Big Dig's high cost can be traced to its
project-labor agreement(PLA) status. What's a PLA? Find out here.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

2.8b?? Hey why don't you post those findings......is that so hard??

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