The Big Dig

I met Dan Nichols a few years ago at a local bookstore. Mr. Nichols spoke for about a half an hour before individual book signings. Extremely nice person to meet and very informative. Now I have two hardcover editions signed by the author. Hopefully Mr. Nichols will return soon!

Dr. Bananamore endured a traffic nightmare when he last visited Boston. And Quincy Market doesn't even have any good oddball stores anymore. Where did the pig store go? It's all just a bunch of expensive fashion retailers. Not even a Cuthbert's, Inc. Scrod Bananamore left the city entirely due to its inhospitality. Be gone, Kerasiotes. Haven't you done enough already?

I don't love the Big Dig (does anyone?) but I love this book. It actually explains the project that's been holding us hostage for so long.And you don't need an engineering degree to understand it. Now that the bridge is almost finished and we can see what the city's new skyline will be like, people are getting more excited about what's going on. This book, which shows what's been going on for the past 10plus years, shows how we've gotten to where we are. It's worth it just for the pictures. I'll never look at the Big Dig in the same way again.

I've lived in Boston for 3 years, and have been as inconvenienced as the next person by the Big Dig. Even though there are many newspaper articles written about the project, I've never really understood what was going on - until this book. The author has a way of introducing and explaining a very complex subject in a very reader-friendly way - he explains what the project is about, why it was necessary, and what the city will be like after it's finished. I was fascinated by it. I also think the pictures are breathtaking. Who would have thought that what looks like a big mess could actually be attractively and dramatically photographed? I've been on a tour of the project, but still, seeing those underground photos was amazing. This is a really great book for people living here - or driving through it. I highly recommend it.

If you don't live in or near Boston, you may not know about The Big Dig. It is the 'largest urban construction project in the history of the modern world.' The task is like putting 'the Panama Canal . . . through New York City.' The project is 'bigger in scale than the Panama Canal or Hoover Dam.' An elevated highway (I 93) through Boston is being replaced by an underground road and the Massachusetts Turnpike is being extended to Logan Airport through a new tunnel. The I 93 crossing of the Charles River is being replaced with a spectacular new bridge that will be the largest cable-stayed bridge in the world. Like an iceberg, 90 percent of The Big Dig in Boston (the Central Artery/Tunnel Project) is underground. Although all of us Boston drivers have been maneuveuring around the project and admiring the cranes, we don't know much about what is going on. This book takes you to where the action has been, is now, and will be in the next five years. I found the book to be fascinating and revealing. If you are like me, you will be glad that you finally learned what The Big Dig is all about. The local press reports have been misleading. Some examples include the rat scare (we were going to be driven out of Boston by all the rats that were unearthed), tales about the Ted Williams tunnel probably being vulnerable to being hit by a passing ship and flooding, and disasters underground related to buildings and roads being undermined. Well, so far, so good. Each press tale has turned out to have a smidgeon of truth and a gas balloon full of hyperbole. I found the story of the difficulties involved in the project and how they were overcome to be fascinating. Advanced construction techniques from around the world are being used in the same project for the very first time. This project has all of the challenges of sending a man to the moon! Here's my trivia list to see if you will learn anything from this book: Did you know that there is a bridge being built underground for the Red Line? What is Black Mayonnaise? How was Spectacle Island affected? Where is the Mother of all Interchanges? Where were oily razor blades found? What is an ITT? Where did soil problems most increase the cost of the project? Did you know that everyone who buys gasoline in the United States has helped pay for the project? We thank you all!After you finish marveling over this remarkable accomplishment, I suggest that you think about what else can be improved in the world. What is absolutely a mess in your life now? How could your life be improved if the mess went away? How can you do that? Assume the best and go after it, and you'll soon have it.