Civic Leadership and the Big Dig

David Luberoff (Executive Director, Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston)
 

Detractors often complain that Boston is a city where deals do not get done because of a fractious political system and culture. But as drivers in the region begin to use the new Central Artery, Ted Williams Tunnel , and parks and other amenities, a question arises: How did the most expensive and complex public works project in America happen in the first place? At least part of the answer lies with the Artery Business Committee (ABC), a group of influential property owners and businesses that has driven the Big Dig from the very beginning of the project.