Boston's Big Dig Takes Form

Boston's Big Dig is the largest and most complex highway project ever attempted in U.S. History. It's finally starting to take shape.

1 minute read

June 29, 2001, 10:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Last week, without the media attention that some of the earlier tunnel placements received, the sixth and last section was lowered on an outgoing tide. On Friday, Mike Bertoulin, the Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff engineer who has spent 10 years overseeing one of the most technically challenging portions of the Central Artery/Ted Williams Tunnel project, got his first look at the inside of the tunnels since they were submerged."

Thanks to Tom Collins

Monday, June 25, 2001 in The Boston Globe

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 23, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18, 2026 - Mass Transit

An Airo train driving towards the camera on a track. There is a forest behind it.

Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet

Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.

September 22, 2026 - Washington State Standard

A blue Metrolink train with two cars drives toward the camera.

St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction

The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.

September 25 - Mass Transit

An abandoned mine in Pennsylvania. The ceiling is low, the walls and floors are gray, and mine cart tracks run along the bottom.

Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines

Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.

September 25 - Inside Climate News

Seagulls flying over the ocean in Texas.

If Corpus Christi can’t revive desalination plant project, it may owe Texas $235 million

Earlier this month, city officials declined to pursue developing the plant for the second time in a year.

September 25 - Inside Climate News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design