Greg Sullivan of the Inspector General's office confirms for GlobeSt.com that the report was released. The report goes after both former Governor William Weld's office, as well as the office of Governor Paul Cellucci. Reportedly, shortly before Cellucci was telling Wall Street analysts that the project was on budget, the report contends that then-Big Dig chief James Kerasiotes knew there would be a $1.4 billion overrun on the project. Also under attack is the Federal Highway Administration, which knew of the increasing costs of the projects, but withheld the information from the public.

In the early 1980s, the Massachusetts Highway Department was responsible for planning the Big Dig, as well as overseeing the design and construction of road and bridge projects throughout the state. In 1985, the Massachusetts Highway Department hired the joint venture of Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff to manage the design, construction, and day-to-day operations of this project. In 1997, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority was designated the owner/operator of the Metropolitan Highway System and gradually took over management of the Big Dig from Mass Highway.

This is not the first time the Inspector General's office has criticized the Big Dig Project, which has been called the most complex and costly urban highway project ever undertaken in American history. As recently as last December, the office released a report slamming the project's cost recovery program. Among the criticisms were assertions that in six years, the Big Dig has only recovered $30,000 from about $83.5 million in cost recovery related change orders. The report also stated that B/PB's overly broad role in project management undermined the state's ability to hold the firm accountable for its design work and that the cost recovery program showed serious signs of neglect.