Cause and Effect World

Big Dig Blues

Oh man.  I have been jokingly thanking residents from other states for financing the Big Dig.  Jokingly, because while I can now get to the airport from work in about 20 minutes (used to take 45 minutes to an hour), it did concern me that ceiling pieces were tumbling because of misapplied epoxy, and the tunnels were leaking because cement wasn’t used properly.  The costs of finding the errors, assessing the damage, and fixing them had to be astronomical, and the feds weren’t going to pay the bill.

Well, an accounting of the costs has finally been made - thanks to the Boston Globe.  And WOW.  WOW.  WOW. 

…the project will cost an additional $7 billion in interest, bringing the total to a staggering $22 billion, according to a Globe review of hundreds of pages of state documents. It will not be paid off until 2038.

and…

Contrary to the popular belief that this was a project heavily subsidized by the federal government, 73 percent of construction costs were paid by Massachusetts drivers and taxpayers.

…Big Dig payments have already sucked maintenance and repair money away from deteriorating roads and bridges across the state, forcing the state to float more highway bonds and to go even deeper into the hole.

Among other signs of financial trouble: The state is paying almost 80 percent of its highway workers with borrowed money; the crushing costs of debt have pushed the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which manages the Big Dig, to the brink of insolvency; and Massachusetts spends a higher percentage of its highway budget on debt than any other state.

It goes on and on.  And the worst part is that the whole point of the Big Dig is to make it easier for people to drive cars.  Why didn’t we put the money into public transportation?  Look for ways to get off of foreign oil?

I actually met someone from Parsons Brinkerhoff, the company who designed the damn thing, at a conference this past week.  I said I was from Boston, and he immediately blamed the whole thing on corrupt Boston officials.

Fingerpointing.  Blame.  Cost overruns.  Taxes.

At least I can get to the airport in 20 minutes.  As long as I don’t get crushed by something falling from the ceiling or drown in the leaky tunnels.