The Big Dig [Hardcover]

Dan McNichol (Author), Andy Ryan (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

The first book ever written about Boston's Big Dig--the largest, most complex highway construction project ever embarked upon in U.S. history! This regional blockbuster reached #1 on the Boston Globe's bestseller list. Filled with dozens of remarkable photos and fascinating archival illustrations, it pulsates with details only an insider like Dan McNichol, former director of the project who was in at the conception, could provide. For example:

During peak construction years, the Big Dig spends nearly $110,000,000 a month. The project will place 3.8 million cubic yards of concrete, enough to build a sidewalk three feet wide and four inches thick from Boston to San Francisco...three times.Rats! Some city officials told the public that construction would dislodge millions of rats from deep down under the city.

When The Big Dig is finally finished, Boston will have over 200 acres of new parks, its skyline will be transformed, and its infamous traffic nightmares will be a thing of the past.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A coffee table book on the largest construction project of all time."--Boston Globe

"Rich with full page images by Andy Ryan, a Big Dig staff photographer, McNichol's book is an appreciation of the engineering marvel."--Improper Bostonian

"Embraces the reader with a rich array of facts, politics, and how-it-was done concerning he largest highway construction project in America"--The Patriot Ledger
-- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Silver Lining; 1 edition (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760723079
• ISBN-13: 978-0760723074
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,093,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exposes The 90% of The Big Dig That Is Underground, December 5, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Big Dig (Hardcover)

If you don't live in or near Boston, you may not know about The Big Dig. It is the 'largest urban construction project in the history of the modern world.' The task is like putting 'the Panama Canal . . . through New York City.' The project is 'bigger in scale than the Panama Canal or Hoover Dam.'

An elevated highway (I 93) through Boston is being replaced by an underground road and the Massachusetts Turnpike is being extended to Logan Airport through a new tunnel. The I 93 crossing of the Charles River is being replaced with a spectacular new bridge that will be the largest cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Like an iceberg, 90 percent of The Big Dig in Boston (the Central Artery/Tunnel Project) is underground. Although all of us Boston drivers have been maneuveuring around the project and admiring the cranes, we don't know much about what is going on. This book takes you to where the action has been, is now, and will be in the next five years.

I found the book to be fascinating and revealing. If you are like me, you will be glad that you finally learned what The Big Dig is all about. The local press reports have been misleading. Some examples include the rat scare (we were going to be driven out of Boston by all the rats that were unearthed), tales about the Ted Williams tunnel probably being vulnerable to being hit by a passing ship and flooding, and disasters underground related to buildings and roads being undermined. Well, so far, so good. Each press tale has turned out to have a smidgeon of truth and a gas balloon full of hyperbole.

I found the story of the difficulties involved in the project and how they were overcome to be fascinating. Advanced construction techniques from around the world are being used in the same project for the very first time. This project has all of the challenges of sending a man to the moon!

Here's my trivia list to see if you will learn anything from this book: Did you know that there is a bridge being built underground for the Red Line? What is Black Mayonnaise? How was Spectacle Island affected? Where is the Mother of all Interchanges? Where were oily razor blades found? What is an ITT? Where did soil problems most increase the cost of the project? Did you know that everyone who buys gasoline in the United States has helped pay for the project? We thank you all!

After you finish marveling over this remarkable accomplishment, I suggest that you think about what else can be improved in the world. What is absolutely a mess in your life now? How could your life be improved if the mess went away? How can you do that?

Assume the best and go after it, and you'll soon have it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific book, April 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Dig (Hardcover)

I don't love the Big Dig (does anyone?) but I love this book. It actually explains the project that's been holding us hostage for so long.And you don't need an engineering degree to understand it. Now that the bridge is almost finished and we can see what the city's new skyline will be like, people are getting more excited about what's going on. This book, which shows what's been going on for the past 10plus years, shows how we've gotten to where we are. It's worth it just for the pictures. I'll never look at the Big Dig in the same way again.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, June 26, 2001

By 

Phil and Barbara Wenger (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Dig (Hardcover)

I just finished reading this book and I was pretty impressed. I am a civil engineering student and of course am interested in projects like the Big Dig. This book is a pretty easy read: the text is big and the sentence structure is simple. However, it is a very informative book and explains the project in terms that anyone could understand. I think it would be hard to read this book without going to Boston and seeing the construction site as the pictures are somewhat hard to follow. Other than that, a good book!