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Feb 25, 2025  |  
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Grace Zokovitch


NextImg:MassDOT installs safeguards in Prudential Tunnel following concrete joint collapse

MassDOT said they have conducted inspects across over 150 points throughout the Boston-area tunnel system after concrete came crashing down on drivers in the Prudential Tunnel last week.

“The inspections identified no additional areas requiring immediate repairs beyond the work already completed at the Huntington Avenue expansion joint in the Prudential Tunnel,” a MassDOT spokesperson said.

Five inspection crews deployed across the tunnel system Friday night after the incident and inspected 154 locations for signs of loose concrete, according to MassDOT.

On Friday afternoon, a 4 to 5-long chunk of concrete came crashing down and did minor damage to several vehicles on the westbound side of the Mass Pike in the Prudential Tunnel, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver stated at the time. MassDOT video released shows some cars hit and others drive over the wreckage before traffic begins to slow.

No injuries were reported, but the incident caused a major traffic backlog amid the Friday rush hour.

MassDOT attributed the collapse to “recent freeze/thaw cycles,” which cause “concrete to become saturated, freeze, and then delaminate as temperatures rose.” The joint that failed was scheduled to be inspected “in the coming weeks,” Gulliver said.

The Prudential Tunnel is currently being fully inspected and is inspected every two years, according to MassDOT. Gulliver said Friday the Ted Williams, O’Neill, Sumner, Callahan and Storrow tunnels would be inspected immediately as well.

The department said Boston’s overpass bridge joints are inspected routinely for freeze/thaw action through the spring.

Freeze Thaw inspections of overpass bridge joints are ongoing across the state as part of MassDOT’s routine inspection program and will continue through the spring.

“Overhead shielding has been installed at the Huntington Avenue expansion joint and, as a precaution, will also be installed at five other expansion joint locations within the Prudential Tunnel,” the MassDOT spokesperson said as of Saturday. “This work will be done during overnight hours and is expected to be complete by Tuesday.”

The shielding is designed to catch used to catch any small pieces of deteriorated concrete.

During inspections, teams conduct visual and hands-on searches for delamination, voids or weakened areas, according to the department.

MassDOT said the Prudential Tunnel is fully open and safe, and additional work will take place overnight.