[Article] Boston Big Dig makes DPT look good

darkman2

From AA motoring magazine:

THE light at the end of the Dublin Port Tunnel appears to be coming into view and motorists in the capital might be
inclined to say “about time too”. But while the project is almost two years late, it’s worth noting that ground was only broken in 2001 – just two years after the project was signed off. Seven years from drawingboard to reality might sound like a long period of time, but it’s nothing compared to the saga of a similar project in the United States where a similar project took much longer. Boston, 1982. The traffic problem in the Massachusetts state capital has reached breaking point as the city’s huge “Central Artery”, Interstate 93, groans under an estimated 200,000 cars per day. I93 was built in 1959 to lift Boston traffic above the windy streets of one of America’s oldest cities and for a time, it worked. Taking 75,000 cars a day, the Central Artery seemed to be worth displacing thousands of Boston’s dockside residents but as America’s infatuation with the automobile saw roads across the country fill up, “Beantown” saw their rusting “Green Monster” not only as an eyesore, cutting the docks off from the rest of the city, but also as a constant drain on their quality of life. Jams on the I93 lasted ten hours and its design was a huge part of the problem. The Central Artery wound through Boston, taking in tight turns and inclines – having been built before highway construction regulations came into force – and its six-lane span was excessively narrow by modern standards.

The solution to Boston’s woes was never going to be easy. The Central Artery needed to be there, taking traffic from across New gland through Boston and further south as well as onto other destinations in the region through its crucial interchange with one of the United States’ longest roads, the I90. It needed to be bigger, in order to take more traffic and not quickly become obsolete like its
predecessor. And ever since it was built, there was pressure to build it underground; indeed the final section built in the 50’s was a tunnel section. But to submerge a wider I93 beneath the streets of Boston was going to be a mammoth task, comparable to any great
feat of engineering. Planning for this huge project started in 1982 and 5 years later, the state of Massachusetts decided to sign off on what soon became known as “The Big Dig”.

The project began in 1991 – Boston had taken 9 years from planning to ground-breaking and the delays weren’t about to stop there. Some of these delays were understandable. The part of Boston being excavated for the Big Dig was mostly landfill, which is quite unstable. With a new crossing over the Charles River part of the project as well as a tunnel taking traffic from the I90/I93 interchange
to Logan Airport, the finishing date finally came into view over 10 years later, when the project cost of $6bn had jumped to over twice that. Total costs to date are close to $15 billion. The first section of the project opened in 2003 and leaks soon began to merge.
Reports of thousands of leaks, including almost 700 in one 300 metre section, scandalised the people of Boston. Evidence soon merged that the material being used was sub-standard. While the last section of the project finally opened in January 2006, 15 years after it began and almost 24 years after the planning process began, the Massachusetts Attorney General announced plans to sue the
contractors for over $100m if more than 200 complaints of substandard work are not addressed. In July 2006, ceiling tiles fell from the
I90 connector tunnel and crushed a passenger travelling below to death, leading authorities to close that section indefinitely. It’s not clear if the three ton tiles fell due to any issues with inferior materials, but it’s the latest, most tragic incident in a very troubled project. In a way, we can view ourselves fortunate that the course of Ireland’s largest-ever construction project seems to have gone quite smoothly in comparison.

The DPT construction may have been tedious at best but I suppose considering the mess that even the Americans made we should be thankful:)

Chris_533976

TBH I think its a bit unfair to compare them. DPT was a bit of cut & cover and a bit of bored tunnel.

The stuff they did in the Big Dig was unreal. I saw a Discovery program on it recently. Granted, they got screwed over by the contractor, but the whole plan was on such a vast scale that it all has to be admired

darkman2

Chris_533976 wrote:

TBH I think its a bit unfair to compare them. DPT was a bit of cut & cover and a bit of bored tunnel.

The stuff they did in the Big Dig was unreal. I saw a Discovery program on it recently. Granted, they got screwed over by the contractor, but the whole plan was on such a vast scale that it all has to be admired

Indeed the Big Dig is far bigger however the DPT is, in fact, 10 kms of tunnel. I think the Big Dig was entirely cut and cover If so then the projects are fundamentally different. Also the Big Dig was put under an existing highway so in terms of objections probrably negligible compared to the messing around that went on here. Really though the problems with the Boston tunnel do put the problems with the port tunnel in perspective!:)

spacetweek

darkman2 wrote:

Indeed the Big Dig is far bigger however the DPT is, in fact, 10 kms of tunnel. I think the Big Dig was entirely cut and cover If so then the projects are fundamentally different. Also the Big Dig was put under an existing highway so in terms of objections probrably negligible compared to the messing around that went on here. Really though the problems with the Boston tunnel do put the problems with the port tunnel in perspective!:)

Just can't wait until the 20th...

Keedowah

I worked on a vent building on the Big Dig one summer - loved it! Amazing project.

pauld

Indeed DPT media hype problems dont look so bad when you compare to Singapore's Land Tansport Authority MRT Cricle Lines Phase 1 experience with the Nichol Highway on the 20th April 2004 and Australia's experience with the Lane Cove project on the 2nd November 2005. Both of these indicidents indicate the risks that any tunnelling project face.

BendiBus

Tunnelling is not a trivial task!

http://www.tunnelbuilder.com/recordbreakers/chamber.htm :eek:

spacetweek

BendiBus wrote:

Tunnelling is not a trivial task!

http://www.tunnelbuilder.com/recordbreakers/chamber.htm :eek:

Jeez, my eyes were rolling reading the bit about the Lisbon metro. Remember when there was water coming into the DPT? What was it, about 10 litres per minute or something? Seems like nothing in comparison to Lisbon.

jd

I love this one

Hollywood Boulevard - calamity in celluloid city
On the Hollywood section of the L A Metro extension in 1995 contractors were realigning the tunnel by cutting out 20 segments and replacing them when they noticed a pocket of saturation. The situation rapidly deteriorated, resulting in an inflow of mud and water which produced a sinkhole in Hollywood Boulevard measuring 20 m wide x 18 m deep. The contractor poured 3,000 m3 of concrete slurry into the hole and paved it with tarmac to facilitate rush hour traffic the next morning. The client was not impressed and fired the contractor. The ensuing litigation cost the citizens a fortune and set back the cause of underground transport in Los Angeles by ten years.

Chris_533976

The contractor poured 3,000 m3 of concrete slurry into the hole and paved it with tarmac to facilitate rush hour traffic the next morning.

Hmm. I wonder would that happen here or would it be left for a week ensuring utter, utter chaos

spacetweek

jd wrote:

I love this one

That sounds a bit dodgy though, realigning the tunnel - they must have laid it wonky or something. Tsk! :rolleyes:

Pity though, LA is a horribly car-filled city, they badly need a HUGE subway system.