Big Dig Costs Continue to Soar

The Big Dig highway project will end up costing $22 billion by the time interest is included, and won't be paid off until 2038.

The Boston Globe reports that a review of thousands of pages of state documents shows that the project has had a ripple effect on state finances.

Nearly three-quarters of the cost of the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel were paid by Massachusetts. To meet that obligation, the state's annual payments will be $600 million or more.

Massachusetts spends 38 percent of its highway budget on debt, more than any other state.

Big Dig payments have diverted money away from needed repairs to roads and bridges across the state.

The state also pays almost 80 percent of its highway workers with borrowed money.

Secretary of Transportation Bernard Cohen says the Big Dig has saddled the state with costs it can't afford.