Cambridge St. Tunnel Cost Skyrockets to $3.4 Million

The cost of the University's Cambridge St. underpass has skyrocketed to $3.4 million--$1.4 million more than the original estimate for the project.

Construction on the underpass begins this week. Workmen will cut down trees next to Memorial Hall and begin widening Quincy St. These preliminaries, including the moving of utilities located in the path of the construction and the building of temporary roads, will continue through the winter. Actual digging on the underpass is scheduled to begin on April 1 and be finished by June 1, 1968.

When completed, the underpass will handle all cars that now use Cambridge St. in front of Mem. Hall. Part of Kirkland St. behind Memorial Hall will be closed off, allowing Harvard to build a pedestrian mall linking the Yard with Littauer and the Law School.

The entire area in front of Memorial Hall will be completely dug up during the building period for the underpass's tunnel, which will extend from the fire station to Littauer. "It's an awful large hole, and the whole thing is going to look like one big mess," one University official observed.

Harvard first proposed the project in the Spring of 1965, when it estimated the cost at about $2 million. A Boston Engineering firm did detailed work on the plans that summer and revised the estimate upwards to $2.8 million. It remained there until this summer when the University asked for bids.

Bids High

The results shocked most University administrators. The lowest bid would have put the project's total cost at $3.8 million.

Harvard immediately asked its engineers to make any possible revisions in the plans that would cut costs without lowering construction standards. As a result, $400,000 was saved by changing such things as the way in which the utilities are moved.

In an attempt to reduce costs even further, Harvard is now asking the City and the Cambridge Historical Commission to approve a number of other changes.

Most of the changes involve the use of less costly building materials, such as the handrailings or the exterior walls of the underpass. Another proposed change would alter the lighting system. According to L. Gard Wiggins, Administrative Vice-President, the planned lighting would be far more intense than lighting in any comparable underpass in the metropolitan area. Harvard is requesting a reduction to the standard brightness, he said.

Under an agreement with the contractors, Harvard has until late fall to obtain the agreement with the Historical Commission and the City for these changes.