While the state has spent millions to compensate Gillette for its troubles during the construction of a tunnel that will extend the Massachusetts Turnpike, the cost to Gillette employees, residents, and neighborhood businesses has ranged from mere frustration to complete lifestyle changes.

Although many businesses continue to be impacted by the Big Dig, Gillette, the world's largest maker of shaving accessories, has the distinction of being the most powerful, and the most visible -- with its looming "World Shaving Headquarters" sign.

One retired Boston police officer and longtime South Boston resident describes the view of Gillette from the expressway as "what used to be tranquility is not tranquility anymore."

For a number of those who work at Gillette, however, parking is the main issue.

"If you are not here by 7:15 a.m., then you don't get to park," said Jim Nelson, a Gillette employee.

Giant trucks, dirt piles, and construction workers are gathered where employees once parked, along the Fort Point Channel area. Employees like Nelson must come to work early or scramble for parking; once a spot is found, the employee better not budge, said Nelson.

Big Dig construction workers say the morning squabbles can get nasty when some of the 3,200 Gillette employees are late for work and angry because of the parking shortage.

But for neighborhood restaurant owners, the Big Dig construction has been great for business.

On a recent afternoon, a part of South Boston was filled with bulky construction workers and well-dressed Gillette and area employees, who would rather walk to a nearby restaurant during lunch than lose a valuable parking space.

"We love the Big Dig," said Debbie Iaquint, owner of Taste of Home Bakery. "They are are all a big part of my business."

The construction of the tunnel near Gillette starts at the end of the Mass. Pike and will continue underground along the Fort Point Channel through South Boston's Seaport District and hook up to the Ted Williams Tunnel. The work is expected to last another two years.

In spite of the inconvenience to Gillette employees, the company's participation in the Big Dig has been essential.

The Central Artery project paid $35 million to move Gillette's water-intake structure, said Michael Lewis, the project's assistant director for engineering and environmental services. Another $1.3 million was paid to relocate large storage tanks, he said.

"We have recognized Gillette as a major abutter and have assured that all of their manufacturing operation continues unimpeded," he said.

If the Big Dig "had not addressed those issues, then Gillette would have opposed the project and it would not have gone forward," said David Luberoff, a researcher at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

While Stephen Brayton, Gillette's spokesman, said the marriage between Gillette and the Big Dig has gone smoothly, he admits that the Big Dig has caused parking problems and has forced the company to adjust plans for expansion.

For example, said Brayton, the company added a materials warehouse but had to relocate it. "The ideal position for efficiency would have been where the Big Dig is now," said Brayton.

He also noted that a nearby softball field that employees used was lost during construction.

A few blocks down from Gillette, Joe Manning, a bartender for 25 years at Amrheins Restaurant, watches the daily and weekly effects of the Big Dig.

Traffic proves to be the most interesting, he said. By 4 p.m., as the workday ends, traffic becomes a tangled mess. "It's terrible," said Manning.

"I hear people every day complaining that the traffic is at a standstill or people saying, `I flew in from Philadelphia, and it just took me 45 minutes, but it took me up to an hour to get to South Boston from the airport.' "

"It used to be a 5-minute drive."

But not all nearby residents are complaining. Some say that the frustrations are only temporary and that the Big Dig will ultimately mean higher property values and smoother traffic.

"The Big Dig is coming through," said William Kennedy, 53, a lifelong South Boston resident. "It will help us all in the future."