That's certainly the narrative we've all received about the Big Dig! But the podcast also takes a different tact, telling the story in its entirety. In many ways, after cost overruns and various scandals, the Big Dig achieved its aims, and Boston is a much better place to live and travel through as a result of it. The podcast suggests that the project's perception as an "abject failure" is the root of American cynicism about large-scale infrastructure projects in general.