The Big Dig
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” [Matthew 7:13,14]
Boston’s Central Artery Tunnel Project, better known as the Big Dig, constitutes the largest construction project in U.S. history. It called for replacing an elevated six-lane highway through downtown Boston with an eight- to ten-lane underground highway directly beneath it. Engineers of this subterranean thoroughfare had to make room for 7.5 miles of underground roads that required excavating 16 million cubic yards of dirt. That’s enough to fill New England’s football stadium more than 15 times. This colossal project was on the same scale as the Panama Canal, or the Chunnel from Britain to France. To top things off, it had to be built through a gauntlet of existing subway lines, not to mention countless pipes and utility cables, and all this had to happen without disrupting the daily traffic flow and business life of one of America’s busiest cities.
First conceived in the 1970s, the project’s history spanned six presidents, seven governors, and finished five years overdue in 2005. The Big Dig also became the most expensive highway project in U.S. history. The final price is estimated at $14.8 billion. During one three-year period when construction peaked, the Big Dig was eating up $100 million dollars a month! Talk about a money pit! That’s a lot of money to build a road that still has gridlock during rush hour.
Did you know the Bible tells of an even more expensive road that leads to a better city? The cost was extremely high. Jesus, God’s own Son, paved the way for us with His sacrifice. But He warns us that “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14). Only those who really want to find it will be successful. But, with His help, we will find that narrow gate that leads to the heavenly city and streets of gold if we search with all our hearts. With His Spirit of Truth as our Guide, we need to have our own Big Dig in the Word of God.
