Big Dig Bottomless Pit

Even for an enthusiast for bold highway expansion and undergrounding the Big Dig in Boston is too much. The latest cost estimate is $12.2 billion, a $1.4b increase on a project initially estimated to cost $2.6b (Normal inflation might have raised that by now to say $3.2b.) And the USDOT inspector-general puts the final cost at over $13b. Just the latest state announced increase alone, that $1.4b, would be enough to build Melbourne CityLink, Toronto’s 407, Houston’s complete toll road system, the rebuild of I-15 through salt Lake City, the Cross Israel Highway, or a new 12-lane Wilson Bridge here in DC (less interchanges).

The Central Artery/Tunnel (CA/T) as it is officially known is 260 lane-km (162 lane-mi) of roadway, half of which is in tunnel. At a cost of $12.2b this is $47m/lane-km ($75m/lane-mi). Investors have just opened a half tunnel toll road in Sydney (Eastern Distributor $490m for 35 lane-km) at a cost of $14.0m/lane-km and in Melbourne, CityLink, all tunnels and bridging (90 lane-km for $1.3b) for $14.5m/lane-km. These projects had similarly difficult environmental conditions, and need to buy off affected parties with expensive add-ons, as in Boston.

In Paris investor-owned Cofiroute is building the 10.1km long A86 road tunnel through the Versailles region at a cost of $36.3m/lane-km ($2.2b for 60.6 lane-km). That includes major costs because of a court-ordered stand-down for two years and redesign of the project midway, problems which have not afflicted the CA/T.

CA/T represents mismanagement and waste of gargantuan scale. It is not the fault of individuals involved in the CA/T team itself, but of an irresponsible socialist-buchaneer style ownership that provides none of the financial discipline inherent in projects where costs have to be kept in line with monies that investors are prepared to risk. The CA/T cost overrun is the fault of the Tip O’Neils and Bud Shusters and other congressional collaborators in writing monstrously dysfunctional ‘pork’ laws like ISTEA and TEA21. The French and the Australians in a sensible commercial environment have shown how difficult underground road stuff just like CA/T can be done – at a fraction of the cost – and fairly, without hitting up taxpayers.

Such preposterous waste – the Big Pig they call it in Boston – unfortunately discredits just the kind of inner city road improvements we badly need, and which some Europeans and Australians are doing on a self-financing basis.