The past, present and future of federal funding thanks to the Big Dig

From the Boston Globe – “Big Dig failures threaten federal funding - Future projects may be shortchanged”

The past:

As deadlines passed and costs skyrocketed from $1 billion to more than $14 billion, the Central Artery/Tunnel project championed by the late Democratic speaker, Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr., came to represent the worst excesses of pork-barrel politics. Many members of Congress cheered when the federal government finally moved to stop cutting checks in 2000.

The present:

In Washington, perhaps the most enduring legacy of the giant highway project is the perception that Massachusetts landed one of the biggest government handouts ever. When Governor Mitt Romney vowed last month to "ask for federal money" to help with the state's $20 million Big Dig safety review, the statement drew a harsh and swift response from lawmakers who are tired of sending Massachusetts money for a project that state officials seem to have failed to oversee properly.

The future:

Now the Big Dig's tortured history is haunting Massachusetts officials in the wake of the fatal tunnel accident. Not only does it mean that the Bay State stands virtually no chance of getting another federal dime for the project , it means the state's leaders could find themselves at the back of the line the next time they want a large-scale project from the federal government.

And why shouldn’t that be the case? Shuffling even more federal dollars to Massachusetts would send a signal that a project only needs to be started to milk it for five-times the original estimated cost. Furthermore, the Big Dig has poisoned the well for other states seeking federal funding for large infrastructure improvements since support will never again flow so freely, Tip O’Neill or not.