So, this is the Big Dig:

Interstate 93 through the Big Dig

We all know about the big dig, and if you don’t, you’re a terrible roadgeek. The main thrust of the project was to take the ugly central artery and replace it with a tunnel beneath downtown. Where the central artery was, was to become a pretty urban park. Let’s see what is going on up on the surface….

(PS its very hard to take pictures in a tunnel!)

As the Zakim/Bunker Hill bridge whisks drivers to the tunnels under downtown, the legacy of the central artery is soon forgotten while attempting to dodge falling panels of concrete. Up on the street however, the picture is quite a different story.

Big Dig construction

When the big dig project began in 1991, planners had only a general idea of what to put on top. 75 percent of the new land was designated as open space, and 25 percent was set aside for commercial use. With the removal of the elevated Central Artery structures, 30 acres of prime space was opened up in the center of the busy city. Planners had to be careful to design it properly, it had to be unlike the dehumanizing and windswept brutalist city hall plaza a few blocks west. As you can see above, a lot of it is still piles of dirt, broken glass, and construction equipment.

Rose Kennedy Greenway

Suggestions ranged from the simple to the grandiose. Local merchants favored adding some trees and parking space, while the state horticultural Society pushed plans to build a giant enclosed greenhouse covering 4 acres. Finally, a plan was developed that called for a series of inviting public parks. The Rose Kennedy Greenway was dedicated on July 26, 2004. 25 percent of the land is set aside for what planners call “modest” development. Instead of only commercial, the plan has been expanded to include all types of mixed uses – retail, commercial, housing, and tourism.

Today, the Rose Kennedy Greenway consists of a lot of dirt with a chain link fence and jersey barriers surrounding it.

It was originally slated for completion in 2005 but because of the Big Dig’s cost overruns opening is now predicted for 2008.

It looks awful. I know it’s not finished yet but what is there evokes nothing of the leafy pedestrian friendly Boston we all know. It is well removed the buildings surrounding it and there is a wide boulevard on either side.

A seemingly better idea would have been to put the road in the center with the parklands off to one or both sides. But hey, the rest of the city is still awesome.