Originally Posted by djplong

Figmo: You obviously weren't around Boston during the heyday of the Big Dig. Coming into Boston from the south there was a FOREST of construction cranes (I've never seen anything like it before or since) too numerous to count. There was a LOT of the "multiplier effect" from those construction jobs.

The Big Dig was the biggest boondoggle ever. There were crooks everywhere, many still serving time. And the thing leaks.

From Wikipedia;
T

he Big Dig was the most expensive highway project in the U.S. and was plagued by escalating costs, scheduling overruns, leaks, design flaws, charges of poor execution and use of substandard materials, criminal arrests,[2][3] and even four deaths.[4] The project was scheduled to be completed in 1998[5]at an estimated cost of $2.8 billion (in 1982 dollars, US$6.0 billion adjusted for inflation as of 2006).[6] The project was not completed, however, until December of 2007, at a cost of over $14.6 billion ($8.08 billion in 1982 dollars)[6]as of 2006.[7] The Boston Globe estimated that the project will ultimately cost $22 billion, including interest, and that it will not be paid off until 2038.[8] As a result of the deaths, leaks, and other design flaws, the consortium that oversaw the project agreed to pay $407 million in restitution, and several smaller companies agreed to pay a combined sum of approximately $51 million.[9]

Think twice about Union Infrastructures.

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.

That whole project was corrupt and many thieves made a fortune. They still have hundreds of leaks because of faulty and lazy construction.The contractor paid over 400 million in fines and that was probably a drop in the bucket from the Billions he made from taxpayers money. It will not be paid for until 2038!!!