At the end of almost twenty years of hard work and high hopes, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, also known as “Big Dig” reunites the two parts of Boston that were separated by Interstate 93 and pays a tribute to the Kennedy family matriarch Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.

When it was first built, in the ‘50s, the Central Artery, officially known as “The John F. Fitzgerald Expressway” was constructed through Boston's business district and some of its oldest neighborhoods making the North End section of the town (where Rose Kennedy was born) to be cut off from the rest of the city.

In 1991, construction began on the Big Dig, while the elevated artery was still functioning, with its usual nerve-wrenching traffic.  By 2004, the new I-93 tunnels were completed enough to close the old elevated artery and the demolition of the superstructure began shortly thereafter.

After four more years, 13.2 acres of freshly planted flowers and fountains were officially inaugurated for the joy of thousands of Bostonians. The festivity that lasted all day included a Ferris wheel, Duck Boat rides, a carousel, and a farmer’s market, as well as everything from tai chi to free temporary tattoos to public art pieces.

Among the visitors, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg - Rose’s daughter and granddaughter, respectively attended a ceremony at the Mother’s Walk, which is made of bricks that honor anybody who’s been a caretaker, including, of course, the Kennedy long-lived matriarch