Today is a milestone in the Big Dig project, as the underground tunnel is now open and connecting to the Zakim bridge. It’s exciting to see years of construction come to fruition, even if the project is not finished. All the same, it’s hard for me not to feel that the accomplishment, while impressive, isn’t worth the cost. For the cost overruns will effectively mean that any meaningful capital investment that public and regional transportation needs will now be dead on arrival. It was sad enough to see projects like an urban-ring subway and commuter rail expansion put on hold while the Big Dig was going on. It’s even sadder to realize that in the context of impending increased fares, fees and taxes to pay for the Big Dig, a state fiscal crisis, and budgetary problems at MBTA, any real improvements in public transportation will simply not materialize.
And, as an op-ed piece in today’s Globe reminds us, the short-sighted vision of the Silver Line T should not be forgotten or forgiven.
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