Ace of Spades HQ

« George W. Bush: Real Ultimate Power | Main | Chris Matthews: "Suppose -- hypothetically, mind you-- that America were a 'good country'" »

November 18, 2004

Big Dig Blues

Son of Nixon on the most expensive public works project in history, now apparently sprining hundreds of dangerous leaks.

And part of the project is named after Rose Kennedy, just to annoy you further.

What does everyone else think about the Big Dig? I'm conflicted. On one hand, I've been bothered for some time that America doesn't seem to do big engineering projects anymore. The Japanese are busy building artificial islands and superlong under-ocean tunnels, and the best we can do is patch up our crappy highway system every other day.

I kinda like the bigness of the thing. The price tag, of course, is something else again.

And of course this thing was sold completely dishonestly, with a ridiculously dishonest "estimated" pricetag of $3 billion or so; now it's up to $15 billion, and it will probably get worse. And that pricetag is inflated by a gold-plated PC style of construction-- lots of work at night, heroic efforts to keep down noise so that no one is in the least inconvenienced by this mammoth undertaking. Yeah, that keeps Teddy K's constituents happy, but if they weren't prepared to deal with the natural consequences of a multibillion dollar construction project, honestly, perhaps we should have just given the whole thing a pass.

It goes without saying that you-- non-Massachusetts citizen you -- are paying for most of this. Your dollars, Teddy K's political credit.

What is most annoying is that this thing was sold so dishonestly, turned out to be so expensive, and could only be built with a billion-dollar citizen-comfort style of construction that I fear it just may be the last major civil engineering project we see for twenty years.

The Kennedy political legacy-- the gift that keeps on giving.

posted by Ace at 01:41 PM

Comments

John F.Kerry did his share of pitching for Federal dollars, too, and got campaign contributions from important contractors who were working on the Dig.

His local nick was Cash N' Kerry.

Posted by: lauraw on November 18, 2004 01:52 PM

Wait a minute, I thought the most expensive public works project in history *WAS* the Kennedy legacy?

Cheers,
Dave

Posted by: Dave at Garfield Ridge on November 18, 2004 02:02 PM

The big advantage for the Big Dig (speaking as a Kennedy), is that unlike a bridge, you can't drive off a tunnel.

Posted by: Master of None on November 18, 2004 02:12 PM

Compared to middle-class entitlements like Social Securitiy or Medicare, big-time infrastructure projects cost nothing. Plus, they can be really cool. Sometimes almost as cool as a AC-130.

The problem is that our pre-eminent cool infrastructure project, the so-called "Space Shuttle" has been such a disaster. Every blast-off costs $300 million. Whats the point of having a re-usable spacecraft if it costs $300 million? Plus, it kills a lot of people. You know the Russian space program never kills anyone. I wouldnt buy a Russian can-opener but they can still put men in space.

Posted by: wally on November 18, 2004 02:13 PM

thanks for the link ace. been too busy playing Halo2 to buzz around the blogosphere lately.

Posted by: sonofnixon on November 18, 2004 02:46 PM

Although this project obviously suffered from political manipulation and corruption, a lot of folks don't understand just how expensive tunneling really is. It can also be fraught with risk due to inherent uncertainties in geotechnical engineering.

In most cases, one is probably better off building above-ground structures, even if they are somewhat elaborate.

Posted by: Nathan S. on November 18, 2004 03:55 PM

Thanks, Nate.

Now get back to some sneering derision and outrage, dammit.

Posted by: kelly on November 18, 2004 04:36 PM

As someone who lived through it for some time as a resident of South Boston, I'm kind of pissed that it disrupted my commute for so long and caused cracks in the plaster of my 135 year old row-house (when you remove that much dirt, things shift). I'm pissed that a bunch of mobster union guys were allowed to run the project, which had more "no show" jobs than you'll ever see on the Sopranos. I'm pissed that they named part of it after a Kennedy. I'm pissed that it cost so much more than it should have. I'm pissed that the very attractive bidge component was named "Zakim". Now I'm pissed that they messed it up and need to fix it, with more union mob guys benefiting.

That said, it works nicely. It's pretty damned cool and has helped traffic. It's made a very nice improvement in the area of the old elevated highway downtown. The Ted Williams tunnel to Logan airport rules (and was built properly).

Posted by: SteveL on November 18, 2004 04:45 PM

Leaks aside, Mass residents should insist on a section being named after Teddy Kennedy.

OK, so let Teddy's section flood. Call it the Teddy Kennedy Chapaquiddick Memorial Tunnel.

Posted by: Cedarford on November 18, 2004 07:22 PM

Ace -

I don't see this debacle as stifling future civic projects at all. A few weeks ago I saw on PBS (hey, don't judge. I'm unemployed and the soaps bore me) a show about similar projects in the Pacific Northwest that are using Boston as their model. Since Oregon and Washington state aren't exactly populated by small-government Reaganites, the trend seems to be leaning towards the "spend... Spend... SPEND!" philosophy of urbun renewal.

And it isn't just blue country wackiness! Here in my hometown of Louisville, KY we have a million dollar fountain located in the middle of the Ohio River. A "gift" to the city from one of our wealthiest legacy families, it costs the city (i.e. taxpayers) a million dollars a year to maintain. A MILLION A YEAR! Some gift. Lately we've only run the fountain three times a year, Christmas, New Year, and to open the Kentucky Derby festival.

Posted by: Kadnine on November 19, 2004 01:47 PM

Yeah, if the King Country Democrats manage to scrounge up another 262 "missing" ballots during the recount,I would expect the Upper Left Washington to embark on some sort of huge project in the next few years. They;ve been threatening us with rebuilding a number of viaducts and bridges, and taxing us for thebillions they will spend on them.Seattle is the only city in the world that is paying the bill for three sports stadiums, one of which it blew up.

But in the large project dept, note that the Bay Area of California is building a new east half of the Bay Bridge. That's about the size of things these days-- rebuilding what they did 70 years ago.

Posted by: Raoul Ortega on November 19, 2004 06:56 PM

Best link on the Big Dig for sheer "someone's-not-taking-his-medications" amusement value!

http://www.revelation13.net/bigdig.html

Posted by: Mamma B on November 20, 2004 01:37 PM

Amazon.com Widgets

Now Available!
The Deplorable Gourmet
A Horde-sourced Cookbook
[All profits go to charity]

Top Headlines

Funniest thing I've read about the Virginia mess. Back when they were hustling the referendum through the assembly both Senators, Warner and Kaine, advised them to go slow and play by the rules. Louise Lucas said she respected them but didn't need advice from the "cuck chair" in the corner. The gerrymandering was overturned and Louise is heading for the big house. Edward G. Robinson voice "where's your cuck now?"
Posted by: Smell the Glove

I posted his post on twitter and it's gotten 25K views so far. Thanks, Smell the Glove

Chris
@chriswithans

"Ahhhhh ahh I put my career on the line for Louise Lucas and Jay Jones thinking they'd vault me into presidential contention and we ended up costing Democrats 20 House seats and unleashing a Reverse Dobbs ahhhhh ahhh"

Forgotten 80s Mystery Click That Sums Up the Democrat Communist Party Today
Something is wrong as I hold you near
Somebody else holds your heart, yeah
You turn to me with your icy tears
And then it's raining, feels like it's raining

TJM wonders about world building in stories, mostly The Hunger Games

"It's f**king f**ked."
-- reportedly a genuine comment offered by a "senior Labour source"
Correction: I wrote that Labour is losing 88% (now 87%) of the seats it is "defending." I think that's wrong. The right way to say it is the seats they are contesting -- that is, they don't necessarily already hold these seats, but they have put up a candidate to run for the seat. It's still very bad but not as bad as losing 87% of the seats they already held.

Basil the Great
@BasilTheGreat

🚨ED MILIBAND [a Minister in Starmer's government] SAYS KEIR STARMER WILL RESIGN AS PRIME MINISTER

He has reportedly reassured Labour MP's that Starmer will be resigning following the disastrous results tonight

It's over

"The end of the two party system in the UK" as first the Fake Conservatives and now Labour chooses political suicide rather than simply STOPPING THE INVASION
Incidentally, the only reason this didn't already happen in the US is because of the Very Bad Orange Man (who is right on 85% of all policy calls and extremely, existentially right on 15% of them)

No political party that is NOT also a doomsday religious cult would EVER choose a cataclysmic loss -- and possible extinction as a party -- to support a toxically unpopular favoritism of NON-CITIZEN ILLEGAL MIGRANTS over actual citizen voters.

Only a cult does this.

Now they've lost 84%.

Annunziata Rees-Mogg
@zatzi
If this continues Labour loses 2,148 seats tonight.

That is much worse than the worst case predictions I’ve seen.

Cataclysmic

Update: They've now lost 88% of the seats they're defending. As I mentioned earlier, I think I heard that London will not bail them out, as many of those Labour seats will probably flip to "Muslim Independent" or Green. Detroit's 5am vote will not save them.

Yup, Labour is losing 80% of its seats...

The British Patriot
@TheBritLad

🚨 BREAKING: Labour have lost 80% of all seats contested as of 2:25 AM.<
br> If this continues, Keir Starmer will be out of office next week.

Reform has surged and projected to pick up between 1700-2100 seats.

Wow, up to 1700-2100 seats. It's not incredible that this is happening. It's incredible that the Davos crowd is so absolutely determined to privilege Muslim "migrants" over the actual native population who elects them, no matter how loudly the natives scream that they want to be prioritized, that they will gladly self-extinguish as a party rather than simply representing the interests of their own voters. Astonishing.
Remember, when they call other people "cultists" -- they are the ones so imprisoned in their social reinforcement and discipline bubbles that they will choose political death rather than dare upset the Karen Enforcement Officers of their cult.
Update: Now they've lost 83% of the seats they were defending.

(((Dan Hodges)))
@DPJHodges

Reform are basically wiping Labour out in the North. It's not a defeat. It's not even a rout. Labour are simply ceasing to exist.

Nick Lowles
@lowles_nick

Tonight’s results are calamitous for Labour. Not just for Keir Starmer's leadership, but for the very future of the party

STARMERGEDDON: In early returns, Reform gains 135 seats, Labour loses 90, the Fake Conservatives lose 36 (and I didn't even know they could fall any further), the Lib Dems lose 4, and the Greens gain 6. Note that the only other party gaining seats is the Greens and they're only gaining a handful of seats.
Update: Reform now up 145, Labour down 98.
Labour projected to lose Wales -- where they've ruled for 27 years.
Fulton County Georgia just discovered 400 boxes of ballots for Labour
Update: REF +156, LAB -107, CON -45
Brutal: In four out of five council seats where Labour is defending, they've lost. 80%.
I'm sure it's not this simple, but Reform is straight taking Labour's and the "Conservatives'" seats. They've lost almost exactly what Reform gained. If understand this right (and warning, I probably don't), all of London's council seats are up for election, and Labour might lose hugely there, as their old voters abandon them for Reform, Muslim Indenpendents, and the Greens.
REF +190, LAB -134, CON -56.

Updates on the Labour collapse in council elections -- which wags are calling #Starmergeddon -- from Beege Welborne. There are about 5000 seats up for grabs, Labour is expected to lose 1,800, Reform will probably gain 1,580, up from... zero. So this would be more than that.
People claim that while Labour has adopted the Sharia Agenda to appeal to the million Muslims it allowed to migrate to the country, those voters are ditching Labour to vote for the Muslim Independent Party or the Greens. Delicious. This shadenfreude is going straight to my thighs.
Oh, and if Starmer loses about as badly as expected, Labour will toss him out of a window Braveheart style and replace him. He will announce he is resigning to spend more time with his Gay Ukrainian Male Prostitutes.

Media bias and senationalism are as old as, well, the media:

That was written by Denny O'Neill and illustrated by, get this, Frank Miller. Editor to the Stars Jim Shooter was in charge at the time.
I always thought the gag was original to the comic book, but in fact the "Threat or Menace" headline was a satirical joke about media bias and sensationalism for a long while. The Harvard Lampoon used it in a parody of Life magazine: "Flying Saucers: Threat or Menace?"

Hamas is Humiliating Trump's 'Board of Peace'
[Hat Tip: TC] [CBD]

Tucker Carlson is pretty sure Trump is a wizard

Ted Turner Dies At 87 [CBD]

Podcast: Starting a new season, CBD and Sefton discuss their personal journeys to conservative principles, is Nick Shirley the beginning of a trend?, Iran trying to reignite the war, the Left attacks itself, even on "Best Guitarist" lists, and more!

TJM definitively ranks the films of Billy Wilder, like Some Like It Hot

TJM talks about Billy Wilder