The Big Dig

Epizode

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  The Staten Island Problem 12.08.2026 36min

  How do these things all connect: Wu-Tang Clan, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, and the largest garbage dump in the world? That story is the subject of a new series from the podcast Revisionist History called “The Staten Island Problem.” The series reconstructs the largest secession movement in the U.S. since the Civil War – how it nearly tore New York City apart, and how it foreshadows the politics of today. We bring you the first episode of the series: “The Mayor vs. the Borough President.” Find more episodes of Revisionist History: The Staten Island Problem wherever you get podcasts. Link: lnk.to/SIPDig
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  Your Ultimate Big Dig Roadtrip Playlist 05.08.2026 41min

  Our show now has three seasons in the feed, and it just dawned on Ian that every topic we’ve covered also happens to be a rich topic in American song: highways, gambling, and fishing. So today we share a special playlist curated by singer, songwriter and record collector Eli "Paperboy" Reed. Hear the full playlist here.  Pre order 'Getting There' by Eli "Paperboy" Reed here. 
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 10. Providence, RI 22.07.2026 37min

  The Big Dig in Boston was a fluke, a unicorn, something we may never see again. But there are simpler and cheaper ways to rethink our urban highways – Providence, RI tried one.  Guests: Edward Fitzpatrick, Zack Cunha, Mike Lewis Recorded live with Globe Rhode Island at CIC Providence Hear the full Washington Bridge Blues playlist here
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 11. Boston, MA 22.07.2026 40min

  The final chapter of the Big Dig story is what happened to the land after the highway was gone. Like the rest of the project, it was messy, and other cities would be wise to learn from it.  Guests: Stephanie Pollack, Chris Cook Recorded live at the MIT Museum
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 9. Philadelphia, PA 15.07.2026 42min

  Even as cities try to heal the damage of the interstate era, we are also continuing to expand our urban highways, continuing to turn parks and neighborhoods into new lanes and new off-ramps. So why is it so hard to stop? Guests: Inga Saffron, Daniel Pearson, Leslie Richards Recorded at The Pen & Pencil Club with support from Miles Bryan and Tom Grahsler
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 8. Baltimore, MD 08.07.2026 43min

  This episode is about a very different kind of teardown – one that came suddenly, tragically, and without warning. But within this utterly unique story there are some universal questions about how we build for the present and the future. Guests: Johnny Olszewski, Samantha Biddle, Wambui Kamau, Arkia Wade, Klaus Philipsen Recorded live with WYPR at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 7. Louisville, KY 01.07.2026 31min

  In the stories we tell about public works, there is a constant bias towards the projects that actually happened, but it’s the apparently ‘failed’ projects that can often teach us the most.  Guests: Marcus Green, Tyler Allen, Ken Herndon Recorded live with LPM at the LPM Performance Studio.
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 6. Portland, OR 24.06.2026 44min

  The anti-highway movement, like any movement, has always been a coalition. Different people with different backgrounds and different interests finding a common cause. But sometimes the coalition cracks.  Guests: Lillian Karabaic, Shawn Granton, Sharon Gary-Smith, Chris Smith Recorded live with Oregon Public Broadcasting at Literary Arts in East Portland. 
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 5. Seattle, WA 17.06.2026 34min

  There is exactly one other American city crazy enough to attempt anything like what Boston did with The Big Dig. That city is Seattle, and they are not done tearing down highways.  Guests: Joshua McNichols, Greg Nickels, Cayce James, José Manuel Vasquez Recorded live with KUOW at the Seattle Public Library. Archival audio courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 4. Austin, TX 10.06.2026 33min

  How did the Austin City Council find themselves locked in a ‘death match’ over what to do about Interstate 35? Two councilors and two journalists talk through the fraught politics of so-called highway caps.  Guests: Megan Kimble, Nathan Bernier, José “Chito” Vela, Mike Siegel Recorded live at the KUT Festival in Austin, TX.
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 3. Rochester, NY 03.06.2026 41min

  Once the highway is gone, can the divisions these structures created actually be healed? Can the people on either side become neighbors again? Rochester, NY is trying to answer that question. Guests: Erik Frisch, Brian Sharp, Shawn Dunwoody, Suzanne Mayer Recorded live at the WXXI studios in Rochester, NY.
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 2. Syracuse, NY 27.05.2026 47min

  Is it possible to re-write the Interstate map and send highways around cities instead of through them? Syracuse, NY is doing just that.  Guests: Marie Therese Dominguez, Lanessa Owens-Chaplin, Joe Driscoll Recorded live in partnership with WRVO and the Syracuse Museum of Science and Technology.
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  Highway Teardown Tour | 1. New York, NY 20.05.2026 51min

  What to do with the BQE? It’s a one of a kind highway in desperate need of repair, but no one can agree how to fix it.  Guests: Polly Trottenberg, Lara Birnback, Stephen Nessen Recorded live at WNYC’s Greenspace. Archival audio courtesy of Municipal Archives, City of New York.
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  Highway Teardown Tour | Enter Here 20.05.2026 7min

  Every American city is divided by crumbling old highways. Every city is trying to figure out what to do with them. But even if the problems with these structures are obvious, the solutions are not – often they are contentious. Welcome to The Big Dig Highway Teardown Tour.
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  In search of the perfect lobster roll 08.04.2026 33min

  In the 1980s, six women on an island off the coast of Massachusetts began selling lobster rolls as a church fundraiser. Today, people travel by car, boat, and plane just to taste these hallowed summer treats.  Today we bring you an episode from one of our favorite food podcasts, “The Sporkful”, in which host Dan Pashman travels to Martha’s Vineyard to uncover Grace Church’s secret recipe. Plus, Daniel Gritzer from Serious Eats breaks down the science of why frozen lobster might be better than fresh. https://www.sporkful.com/the-secret-to-grace-churchs-lobster-rolls/ Find more from The Sporkful, wherever you listen to podcasts or at www.sporkful.com --- We talked a lot this season about fish: the cod, the haddock, the flounder. We heard about monk fish and grey sole, hake and halibut. But if you’ve ever spent a summer in New England, you know that if there is one food we take more seriously than our fish, it’s our shellfish.  So today I’m excited to bring you an episode from one of my favorite podcasts – The Sporkful – in which host Dan Pashman travels to Martha’s Vineyard to uncover the secret recipe of his favorite lobster roll. Plus, Daniel Gritzer from Serious Eats breaks down the science of why frozen lobster might be better than fresh. As always, Dan and the team have a special knack for telling stories about food that also help you understand the world. You can find all their work wherever you are listening right now, just search for “The Sporkful.” And please enjoy: The Secret To Grace Church’s Lobster Rolls…
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  What you need to know when buying fish, with Roger Berkowitz 01.04.2026 33min

  Buying fish can be a puzzling process. It comes frozen and fresh, wild and farmed, from many different countries, and with all kinds of ratings and labels. So what does it all mean? For this bonus episode to “Catching The Codfather,” Ian sits down with a legend of New England seafood, Roger Berkowitz, to talk about his life in fish buying and what he’s learned along the way.  Major sponsorship for “Catching The Codfather” is provided by Roger’s Fish Co.
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  Have we entered a new era for government regulation? 25.03.2026 42min

  John Vecchione represented a group of fishermen who challenged government regulations all the way to the Supreme Court. Together, they helped overturn the decades-old “Chevron Doctrine,” which has been cited thousands of times in federal court rulings. But Vecchione is not done, and you might be surprised to learn what regulations he is challenging next.  For a very different take on the future of regulation after the fall of the Chevron Doctrine, check out this article from climate reporter Molly Taft: The Koch Brothers Are Getting What They Wanted: The Supreme Court Is Gutting Environmental Protections
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  Catching The Codfather | 6. It’s Your Job to Catch Me 18.03.2026 1h 7min

  A new revelation forces federal investigators to close down the case, fast. But what will taking down The Codfather mean for the port of New Bedford? Major sponsorship for "Catching The Codfather" is provided by Roger’s Fish Co. --------------------------- Credits: Host and Scriptwriter: Ian Coss Executive Producer: Devin Maverick Robins Producers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian Coss Story Editor: Lacy Roberts Editorial Advisor: Jenifer McKim Fact-checkers: Ryan Alderman and Isabel Hibbard Intern: Fiona Boyd  Scoring and Music Supervision: Ian Coss Graphic Design: Bill Miller
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  Catching The Codfather | 5. Painting Fish 11.03.2026 1h 1min

  When federal agents first meet with Carlos Rafael, the fishing mogul offers up a tantalizing clue: a special system for ‘painting fish.’ It’s the key to understanding the entire fraud, and why Carlos is the only one who could pull it off. Major sponsorship for "Catching The Codfather" is provided by Roger’s Fish Co. --------------------------- Credits: Host and Scriptwriter: Ian Coss Executive Producer: Devin Maverick Robins Producers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian Coss Story Editor: Lacy Roberts Editorial Advisor: Jenifer McKim Fact-checkers: Ryan Alderman and Isabel Hibbard Intern: Fiona Boyd  Scoring and Music Supervision: Ian Coss Graphic Design: Bill Miller
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  Catching The Codfather | 4. Mosquitos on the Balls of an Elephant 04.03.2026 52min

  A new regulatory system is meant to end overfishing, but Carlos Rafael exploits it to accumulate even more boats and power – drawing resentment from other fishermen, and attention from the feds.  Major sponsorship for "Catching The Codfather" is provided by Roger’s Fish Co. --------------------------- Credits: Host and Scriptwriter: Ian Coss Executive Producer: Devin Maverick Robins Producers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian Coss Story Editor: Lacy Roberts Editorial Advisor: Jenifer McKim Fact-checkers: Ryan Alderman and Isabel Hibbard Intern: Fiona Boyd  Scoring and Music Supervision: Ian Coss Graphic Design: Bill Miller