Economic Development and Highway Right-Sizing: Elevated Freeway to Tunnel Right-Sizing

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Economic development
  • Elevated structures
  • Freeways
  • Tunnels
  • Highway facilities
• Resource Type:
  Brief
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Abstract:
  The Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project, also known as the “Big Dig,” replaced the Interstate 93 viaduct in downtown Boston with a higher-capacity tunnel. On the surface, the project included a 1.5-mile-long park that is flanked by boulevards. The tunnel was created in response to traffic congestion and an inner city revitalization plan that sought to decrease traffic on surface roads in order to create recreational and open space. In addition, removing the elevated highway and rebuilding it as a tunnel would remove a barrier between Boston’s down- town and the North End, a neighborhood cut off from the rest of the city by the highway. City and State leaders saw the Big Dig as a critical step in improving the crawling downtown traffic, which then enabled both public and private investment in the creation of a vibrant and multimodal downtown with diverse retail and commercial opportunities and ample pedestrian and event space for residents and visitors alike.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/54195/dot_54195_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 704.85 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3da6dea73ee5333d1c8fcb74bf95785f1047fa582491d90685b17ec5a46eb35ba96e2283e642b242ca33f3580fcb032255d52cb7a3426e60f90f81e5a6971907