There’s no such thing as a good time to close down the Sumner Tunnel for repairs.
But there are levels of egregiousness, and closing the Sumner during high tourist season is at the top tier.
As the Herald reported, state transportation officials have been urging residents to “ditch the drive” during the Sumner shutdown from July 5 to Aug 31. Traffic will be diverted through signed detour routes.. Based on past projects of a similar size, “you could see multi-mile backup depending on the time of the day,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver.
For luggage-laden families hailing an Uber from Logan Airport, a pricey traffic jam is not likely not on their itinerary.
Leaders from the Department of Transportation, MBTA, and Massport, the latter of which owns and operates Logan Airport, have been telling people to take public transit, pointing to the state’s efforts to reduce, or in some cases, eliminate the cost of these alternative transportation services.
A discount is nice. Free is nicer. But not crowding onto the T, a shuttle or ferry to avoid a miles-long backup? That’s the best.
The choice of a summer shutdown does more than cut into the vacation budgets and time of tourists and strain an already struggling MBTA. Loss of the Sumner through August will have an impact on the conventions that are coming back to our city after the pandemic pulled the plug on business.
Boston boasts some great convention centers and meeting places – and the annual influx of convention-goers are a huge economic driver for the city and state. The numbers of attendees are on the rise after the COVID shutdowns – why make it harder to hold a convention here?
We’ll get a chance to see the impact this week, the Lions Clubs International Convention runs July 7-11 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. They expect thousands to attend.
The International Pharmaceutical Expo and Conference heads to town July 20-22, and Fan Expo/Comic Con returns in all its cosplay finery Aug. 4-6 at the BCEC.
There are others, large and small heading to town and the protracted trip from the airport. One, however, is making an historic return to the city.
The NAACP National Convention is scheduled for July 26-Aug, 1, and it’s the first time the organization’s held its convention here in 40 years. City leaders are all in, and Mayor Michelle Wu announced free, family friendly events and programming open to residents and visitors during its run.
As its website says, the convention attracts innovative change-makers, thought-leaders, entrepreneurs, scholars, entertainers, influencers, and creatives to network and exchange ideas.
What an impression they’ll get of our city as they gaze at a sea of cars inching along a detour route, or vie for a spot on a crowded T train.
We can only hope that things go as smoothly as possible. Convention bookers should be paying attention as well: The Sumner Tunnel will be shut down for July and August next year, too.
For all those heading into our city this summer: Welcome to Boston – good luck with that.
