VG - Nobody, to my knowledge, is in jail. Bechtel basically got away with everything. Paid some in fines when the woman was killed by a collapsing panel in the Ted Williams Tunnel.

The corruption was rife - no doubt there. On the plus side, new construction techniques were pioneered, perfected and in some cases, invented on the spot. That takes money.

What also takes money, apparently, is the shakedown that Boston got from everyone. I swear I'm not making this up. Spaulding Rehab Hospital is right near North Station. They tripled the size of their building knowing full well the Big Dig was coming near them. So what did they do? They demanded that Boston buy their new skyscraper and relocated them to some place in Newton.

Boston decided to change their construction plans so that the building and surrounding property wouldn't be touched. What did SRH do? They ran a publicity campaign saying that (I can't make this stuff up) people at the rehab hospital would DIE because of a lack of visitors - that family members would be scared away by the reduced downtown parking and construction detour confusion (never mind they were within walking distance of four subway stations and THE hub for all north side commuter rail).

It's not just the unions - everyone has their hands out when a big project happens.

Will we learn from this? I don't know - but I suspect that stories like these only contribute to American's "Can't Do" spirit.