The Big Dig
5.0/5
Critic Rating
There is a cynicism that hangs over the topic of American infrastructure – whether it’s high-speed rail or off-shore wind – it feels like this country can’t build big things anymore. No one project embodies that cynicism quite like what Bostonians call ‘The Big Dig.’ Infamous for its ever-increasing price tag, this massive highway tunneling effort was once ridiculed as the Big Mess, the Big Hole, the Big Pig, the Big Lie. But now, decades later the story looks more complicated. So how did the narrative around this project go so horribly wrong? And what lessons can it offer for the ambitiou...
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Boston Magazine Staff • Boston Magazine • May 25, 2024
"...this nine-episode GBH News series succeeds in untangling what went wrong, but also what went right — and what lessons can be learned from the ultimately successful and transformative project."
Score: 5
Lauren Hubbard • Aol.com • Dec 15, 2023
"...manages to both humanize the subject and also use it as a lens to examine the present, and future, of big, idealistic infrastructureprojects ..."
Score: 5
Sarah Larson • New Yorker • Sep 29, 2023
"hosted by Ian Coss...excavates the whole fascinating story, with an eye toward understanding current-day cynicism and idealism about infrastructure. ...he brings the story to life with original music and excellent archival audio...Coss deploys memorable details, like a key character, hard at work, waking up one night with his nose in a pizza."
