Plaza Renovation over Boston’s Oldest Tunnels Presents Unique Challenges

The recent renovation of Boston City Hall’s Plaza, one of Boston’s premier public meeting spaces, involved heavy construction and grade changes over the country’s two oldest subway tunnels, built in 1898 and 1902. These tunnels presented unique challenges throughout the course of the design and significant logistical issues that had to be carefully managed during the construction process. Despite these challenges, the renovation of the Boston City Hall Plaza has been a major success. This paper aims to explore the successful outcome of the project, highlighting how effective teamwork and collaboration between Owner, Contractor and Engineer played a crucial role in overcoming the challenges faced during the project. The paper also intends to provide insights on how such collaborative efforts can lead to the achievement of a project's goals, despite the hurdles encountered along the way.