Postitive After Effects

Positive Results of the Big Dig Project:
After the Big Dig, the most expensive public works project in history, was completed access to the airport was improved, traffic jams were reduced, and getting around in the city became much easier in comparison to the Central Artery. Beyond the tunnels build as part of the project, the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge was constructed and is the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world and the first hybrid and asymmetrical design in the United States. Builders used both steel (in the main span) and concrete (in the back spans).

Because of the new highway system, Boston's carbon monoxide levels will drop 12 percent citywide.

The project created more than 300 acres of new parks and open space, including 27 acres where the existing elevated highway stood, 105 acres at Spectacle Island, 40 acres along the Charles River, and 7 acres as part of an expanded Memorial Stadium Park in East Boston. Three quarters of the 27 downtown acres will remain open. The rest will be set aside for modest development, including retail, commercial, and housing uses in low-rise buildings. More than 2,400 trees and 26,000 shrubs were planted at Spectacle Island. Another 2,400 trees and more than 7,000 shrubs will be planted downtown.