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The Big Dig

Highway Teardown Tour | Enter Here

The Big Dig

GBH News

History

4.82.1K Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2026

⏱️ 9 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Every American city is divided by crumbling old highways. Every city is trying to figure out what to do with them. But even if the problems with these structures are obvious, the solutions are not – often they are contentious. Welcome to The Big Dig Highway Teardown Tour.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Support for the Big Dig comes from Coco Boudaccian and Sons, purveyor of authentic hand-knotted

0:06.0

Persian, Turkish, and Afghan rugs since 1938. Explore timeless, expertly authenticated pieces,

0:13.2

and even schedule a free consultation to find the perfect fit for your home. Visit k-o-k-o-rug.com. And also from Classic Harbor Line, offering family-friendly

0:26.0

cruises, corporate gatherings, and sightseeing day sales throughout the summer in Boston.

0:31.5

More at Classic Harborline.com. Could you just tell me your name?

0:39.3

Margaret.

0:40.8

How long have you lived here?

0:42.5

My whole life.

0:44.4

Do you remember what used to be right here in front of us?

0:47.6

Yeah, the inner loop.

0:51.9

Margaret lives in a mid-sized American city that has taken the bold step of removing part of its downtown highway, the inner loop.

1:01.6

Now the city is thinking of removing the rest of the highway.

1:05.6

So I came here to see the results for myself.

1:08.6

There's a boulevard lined with young trees, bright green crosswalks, a bike

1:13.2

path, and this apartment building that Margaret just stepped out of for a smoke, all where there

1:19.7

used to be a highway. Literally where we're standing, so you would be on the highway.

1:33.6

At first, I would say this conversation with Margaret went more or less how I expected it to go.

1:39.2

As a matter of fact, as a child, we used to go sledding down there while they were digging it out.

1:40.3

Yeah.

1:43.8

And how do you feel about what's here now?

1:45.3

Oh, it's nice. They fixed it up nice. There's, you feel about what's here now? Oh, it's nice.

1:46.9

They fixed it up nice.

...

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