Commuters who normally use the Sumner Tunnel to reach downtown Boston from East Boston and Logan International Airport will have to take an alternate route as the month-long closure continues Monday. For the second summer in a row, the busy thoroughfare has been closed as part of a $160 million renovation project for the nearly 100-year-old tunnel. This time, the tunnel closed at midnight on July 5 and will remain closed until Aug. 5. Transportation officials warned of the potential impact the closure could have on commuters heading in and out of East Boston or those trying to get to Logan. “The big message to commuters really is: Find alternatives,” MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said. “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 take advantage of them.” Those efforts include: Free travel on the MBTA Blue Line. Free, reduced-cost ferry rides. Free, reduced-cost parking at MBTA and commuter rail yards. Toll discounts for residents who need to travel 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 road surface. The first thing our contractors did was, all of the asphalt that was in the tunnel is now gone. They pulled that off this past weekend. They’re going to go in now and start removing some of the concrete and the floor of the tunnel to see what parts need to be repaired,” Gulliver said. Video: MassDOT provides update on Sumner Tunnel work Last year, work was done to repair the ceiling of the tunnel. This year, the focus is on the road surface. MassDOT officials say the time already spent in the tunnel has allowed engineers to cut this year’s closure in half from two months to just one. “We expect it to take the entire month and then a couple of weekends. Right now, everything is going as we expected,” Gulliver said. After Aug. 5, there will be a series of weekend closures for the Sumner Tunnel to finish the work. “If you’re driving right now, this is probably the worst choice you can make. We really want you to look at using some of the public transportation options that are available,” Gulliver said. Once completed, the tunnel’s lifespan should be extended by at least another 75 years, MassDOT said.
Commuters who normally use the Sumner Tunnel to get to downtown Boston from East Boston and Logan International Airport will have to take an alternate route as the month-long closure continues Monday.
For the second summer in a row, the busy thoroughfare is closed as part of a $160 million renovation project for the nearly 100-year-old tunnel. This time, the tunnel was closed at midnight on July 5 and will remain closed until August 5.
Transportation officials warned of the potential impact of the closure on commuters traveling to East Boston or Logan.
“The big 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 take advantage of those.”
These efforts include:
- Free travel on the MBTA Blue Line.
- Free ferry rides at a discount.
- Free or reduced-rate parking in MBTA and commuter rail parking lots.
- Toll discount for residents driving over the Tobin Bridge and through the Ted Williams Tunnel.
“The work that’s being done now is structural repairs to the substructure of the roadway. The first thing our contractors did was all of the asphalt that was in the tunnel is now gone. They took that off this past weekend. They’re going to go in now and start removing some of the concrete, the floor of the tunnel, to see what areas need to be repaired,” Gulliver said.
Video: MassDOT Provides Update on Sumner Tunnel Work
Last year, work was done to repair the tunnel’s ceiling. This year, the focus is on the driving surface. According to MassDOT officials, the time already spent in the tunnel has allowed engineers to cut this year’s closure in half from two months to just one.
“We expect to take the whole month and then a few more weekends. But right now everything is going as we expected,” Gulliver said.
After August 5, there will be a number of weekend closures for the Sumner Tunnel to complete the work.
“If you’re on the road right now, this is probably the worst choice you can make. We really want you to look at using some of the mass transit options that are available,” Gulliver said.
Once completed, the tunnel will extend its lifespan by at least 75 years, MassDOT said.