99% Invisible – 555- The Big Dig

Intro

In this episode of “99% Invisible,” titled “The Big Dig,” the podcast explores the massive infrastructure project that rerouted the central highway in Boston. The project faced numerous challenges, from politics to engineering hurdles, secretive contractors, fraud, and even a motorist’s death. Despite its controversies, the Big Dig ultimately aimed to build a more humane kind of highway. This podcast delves into the history, struggles, and ultimate success of this ambitious project.

Main Takeaways

The Big Dig: A Controversial Infrastructure Project

• The Big Dig was a massive infrastructure project that rerouted the central highway in Boston, which encountered numerous hurdles from politics to engineering challenges, secretive contractors, fraud, and even a motorist’s death.
• The project became a poster child for big government boondoggles and cynicism towards public works.
• The Big Dig is the most expensive highway project ever built in America but was started by an Italian-American man named Fred Salvucci, who grew up in a neighborhood that was destroyed by the construction of the Massachusetts turnpike.
• Salvucci wanted to build a more humane kind of highway, which is what the Big Dig aimed to be.
• Infrastructure in America inspires deep cynicism due to over-budget and behind-schedule projects, but the Big Dig ultimately delivered on its promises.

The Fight Against Highways in Boston

• The Big Dig is a project that embodies cynicism around American infrastructure.
• The Big Dig was the most expensive public works project in American history.
• The project lasted for 16 years and caused traffic congestion.
• The Interstate system was the most sweeping and expensive building project in American history.
• Highways were seen as a way to bring people back to cities in the 50s and 60s.
• Despite incentives to build highways in the 50s and 60s, the costs of building would eventually force city residents to think the unthinkable.
• Anti-highway movements were happening all over the country in the 1960s, and Boston’s fight against the Interbelt would be more sweeping than any before it.

The Activist Movement and Alternative Solutions

• Fred Salvucci’s promise to his grandmother to treat people better and build more humanely led him to become a civil engineer and fight against the Interbelt highway project.
• The Interbelt was a crucial piece of the Spoken Wheels System, a master plan for the region drawn out in 1948.
• The proposed route of the Interbelt highway would go through a largely working-class area in Cambridge, where the whole region’s highway fight would begin.
• Cambridge in the 1960s was a diverse community of long-time residents, immigrants, and highly educated individuals.
• The highway issue brought everyone together, from Catholic priests and housewives to radical lefties and college students, creating an activist movement.
• Urban Planning Aid, a group of city planners and residents, opposed the highway and proposed alternative solutions.
• The movement was radical because it challenged the state’s authority and the belief that experts know what’s best, with experts themselves saying the state was wrong.
• Salvucci’s aim was to find a way to make the highway construction less destructive and avoid families losing their homes.
• The state’s proposed route for the highway was terrible and would destroy the neighborhood.
• Salvucci’s group mapped out an alternate route that would take fewer homes but would go through MIT’s campus.

The Battle Against Highways and Victory

• A debate between MIT and Harvard faculty members took place to discuss the alternate route.
• The debates over the route were strategically important in drawing attention and making sure the whole city of Cambridge had a stake in the issue.
• Anti-highway activists took their fight to Washington, D.C. and organized protests, including a group of children chanting “Cambridge is a city not a highway.”
• The Lyndon Johnson administration ordered new studies on the inter-belt, questioning its location and whether it should be built at all.
• Governor Volpe was appointed as the head of transportation in Washington, D.C. by President Nixon, and work on the Southwest Expressway began in Boston.
• The Greater Boston Committee on the Transportation Crisis (GBC) was formed to fight against the highways.
• GBC protesters united people from different races, classes, and neighborhoods against the state’s road building policy.
• Governor Sargent ultimately announced that they would not build the expressways, shocking and delighting activists.
• Sargent’s decision was a victory for those who had been fighting against the mistakes of the past and for learning from history.

Summary

The Big Dig: A Controversial and Ambitious Infrastructure Project

The Big Dig was a massive infrastructure project that aimed to reroute the central highway in Boston. However, the project faced numerous challenges, including political hurdles, engineering difficulties, secretive contractors, fraud, and even a tragic motorist’s death. Despite its controversies, the Big Dig became a poster child for big government boondoggles and cynicism towards public works. It was the most expensive highway project ever built in America, but it was started by Fred Salvucci, an Italian-American man who grew up in a neighborhood destroyed by the construction of the Massachusetts turnpike. Salvucci aimed to build a more humane kind of highway, which ultimately delivered on its promises.

The Fight Against Highways and the Activist Movement

The Big Dig embodies the cynicism surrounding American infrastructure, as it became the most expensive public works project in American history. The project lasted for 16 years and caused significant traffic congestion. Highways were initially seen as a way to bring people back to cities in the 50s and 60s, but the costs and negative impacts forced city residents to question their construction. Anti-highway movements emerged across the country, and Boston’s fight against the Interbelt highway project became particularly sweeping. This led to a diverse activist movement, uniting people from different backgrounds, including Catholic priests, housewives, radical lefties, and college students. Urban Planning Aid, a group of city planners and residents, opposed the highway and proposed alternative solutions.

The Battle Against Highways and Victory

During the battle against highways, debates over the proposed routes were strategically important in drawing attention and engaging the whole city of Cambridge. Anti-highway activists took their fight to Washington, D.C., organizing protests and gaining support. The Lyndon Johnson administration ordered new studies on the Interbelt, questioning its location and necessity. Governor Volpe’s appointment as the head of transportation in Washington, D.C., led to the start of the Southwest Expressway project in Boston. However, the Greater Boston Committee on the Transportation Crisis (GBC) formed to fight against the highways, uniting people from different races, classes, and neighborhoods. Ultimately, Governor Sargent announced that the expressways would not be built, shocking and delighting activists. This decision was a victory for those who had been fighting against past mistakes and aimed to learn from history.

Conclusion

The Big Dig in Boston represents a controversial and ambitious infrastructure project that faced numerous challenges. Despite its controversies, it ultimately aimed to build a more humane kind of highway and delivered on its promises. The fight against highways in Boston brought together diverse communities and sparked an activist movement that successfully challenged the state’s authority. Governor Sargent’s decision not to build the expressways was a victory for those who had been fighting against destructive projects and aimed to learn from history. The legacy of Boston’s anti-highway fight includes community spaces where highways were supposed to be built and a vision for investing in people and alternatives to highways. As the future of infrastructure unfolds, it is crucial to build on an unprecedented scale to combat climate change while considering the lessons learned from projects like the Big Dig.