Commuters who normally use the Sumner Tunnel to reach downtown Boston from East Boston and Logan International Airport must use an alternate route as the month-long closure continues Monday. For the second summer in a row, the busy road is closed as part of a $160 million rehabilitation project for the nearly 100-year-old tunnel. This time, it was closed at midnight on July 5 and will remain closed until August 5. Transportation officials warned of potential impacts of the closure for commuters entering and exiting East Boston or those trying to get to Logan. the message to commuters is, really, look for alternatives,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “We’ve really worked hard with the MBTA to provide a lot of the mitigation (options) that we have available now. We want to make sure that people to take advantage of it.” These efforts include: Free rides on the MBTA Blue Line. Free reduced cost ferry rides. Free and reduced parking on the MBTA and commuter rail. Discounted tax for residents you have to drive over the Tobin Bridge and through the Ted Williams Tunnel.” The work being done now is structural repairs to the substructure of the driving deck. The first thing our contractors did was, all that pavement that was inside the tunnel is now gone. They removed it over the weekend. They are now going in there and starting to remove some of the concrete, the tunnel floor, to see what parts need to be repaired,” Gulliver said.Video: MassDOT gives update on Sumner Tunnel work Last year, work was done to repair the tunnel ceiling This year, the focus is on the moving surface MassDOT says time spent in the tunnel allowed engineers to shorten this year’s closure to just one months after a few weekends after For now, though, everything is progressing as we expected,” Gulliver said. After Aug. 5, there will be a series of weekend closures for the Sumner Tunnel to complete the work. “When you’re on the road now – this is probably the worst decision you can make. We really want you to look at using some of these mass transit options provided,” Gulliver said. Once completed, the tunnel’s lifespan should be extended for at least another 75 years, MassDOT said.
Commuters who normally use the Sumner Tunnel to reach downtown Boston from East Boston and Logan International Airport must use an alternate route as the month-long closure continues Monday.
For the second summer in a row, the busy road is closed as part of a $160 million rehabilitation project for the nearly 100-year-old tunnel. This time, it was closed at midnight on July 5 and will remain closed until August 5.
Transportation officials warned of potential impacts of the closure for commuters entering and exiting East Boston or those trying to get to Logan.
“The big message for travelers is, really, look for alternatives,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “We’ve really worked hard with the MBTA to provide a lot of mitigation (options) that we have available now. We want to make sure that people benefit from it.”
These efforts include:
- Free rides on the MBTA Blue Line.
- Free low cost ferry rides.
- Free and reduced parking at MBTA and commuter rail lots.
- Discounted tolls for residents who must drive over the Tobin Bridge and through the Ted Williams Tunnel.
“The work that’s being done right now is structural repairs to the substructure of the driving deck. The first thing our contractors did was, all that pavement that was inside the tunnel is now gone. They removed it over the weekend. Now they’re going in there and they start removing some of the concrete, the floor of the tunnel, to see which parts need to be repaired,” said Gulliver.
Video: MassDOT gives update on Sumner Tunnel work
Last year, work was done to repair the tunnel ceiling. This year, the focus is on the driving surface. MassDOT officials say the time already spent in the tunnel allowed engineers to cut this year’s closure in half from two months to just one.
“We expect to get the whole month and then a few weekends after that. However, for now, everything is progressing as we expected,” said Gulliver.
After August 5, there will be a series of weekend closures for the Sumner Tunnel to complete the work.
“When you’re on the road now – that’s probably the worst decision you can make. We really want you to look at using some of those mass transit options provided,” Gulliver said.
Once completed, the tunnel’s lifespan should be extended for at least another 75 years, MassDOT said.