Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff Responds to the Boston Globe Series on the Big Dig

A recent three-part series in the Boston Globe accused the Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff joint venture of costing the public more than a billion dollars in unjustified outlays on the Central Artery/Tunnel Project in Boston. The series was fundamentally flawed by a profound misunderstanding of the professional role of the management consultant vis-à-vis the state of Massachusetts and other consultants and contractors, ignorance of the immense challenges of underground construction in a historic urban area, misrepresentations of key facts, and a flagrant resort to innuendo.

These allegations do a serious disservice to those trying to understand the truth about the largest, most complex urban transportation project in U.S. history. To set the record straight, Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff has developed the two documents below.

• An overview of cost, scope, schedule, and management issues related to the “Big Dig” project, which provides critical background: Key Facts (PDF: 129 KB, 7 pages)
• A detailed rebuttal to the Boston Globe’s series, including a point-by-point refutation of its key allegations: Reply (PDF: 151 KB, 18 pages)