State transportation officials are urging residents to “ditch the drive” during the impending two-month Sumner Tunnel shutdown, saying that there will be times when traffic could be backed up for miles.
Instead, leaders from the Department of Transportation, MBTA, and Massport, the latter of which owns and operates Logan Airport, are 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.
Based on past projects of a similar size, “you could see multi-mile backup depending on the time of the day,” MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said at a Wednesday press conference.
“This is by far the most impactful project we’ve taken on in some time, and the impacts will be evident and immediate around the project area,” Gulliver said at Wonderland Station in Revere, which is part of the MBTA’s Blue Line, a subway service that will be free for the entirety of the two-month closure.
“Starting next Wednesday, drivers coming to the area should expect to experience severe congestion, especially around the connecting roadways to the Sumner Tunnel, and in particular the detour routes that are over the Tobin Bridge and through the Ted Williams Tunnel.”
Since the closure, which extends from July 5 to Aug. 31, begins the day after Independence Day, Gulliver doesn’t expect the full impacts of increased congestion to be felt by the region until July 10, when residents return from holiday travel.
“That’s a big milestone date for us that we’re going to be watching very carefully,” Gulliver said. “I want to be very clear: If you normally drive into the city, especially from the North Shore, or take trips into Logan, you should expect to see additional traffic and congestion on your normal drive as a result of this project.”
Massport CEO Lisa Wieland said people traveling to Logan Airport should give themselves an extra two hours for arrival and departure.
Travelers should not drive to the airport this summer, said Wieland, who also urged the use of public transportation. As an incentive, the Logan Express bus service will be offered at a 25% discounted online rate, and people who get to the airport by ferry will be allowed to skip to the front of the security line.
They will still have to go through security, however, like all other travelers, Wieland said.
Like the Blue Line, East Boston ferry service will be free for the duration of the tunnel closure. A new Lynn to Boston ferry service has launched as another mitigation method, with rates the same as subway service, at $2.40 per trip.
Five MBTA bus routes, the 111, 112, 114, 116, and 117, will also be free during the shutdown. Fares will not be collected at five Silver Line 3 stops, Airport, Bellingham Square, Box District, Chelsea and Eastern Avenue, benefiting those traveling from Chelsea to Logan Airport.
“Our biggest fear is that people don’t realize this is coming, and that they won’t have time to plan before they’re stuck,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said, “and not realize that there was another way that could have made their lives just that little bit easier or their commutes a little bit more convenient.”
Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca said the Sumner Tunnel project, which will include another two-month closure next summer with weekend shutdowns in between, is a $160 million investment in infrastructure that was built in the 1930s.
Gulliver added that the upgrades will result in a brighter tunnel with new ceilings that are safe for years to come.
“The Sumner Tunnel is the first traffic tunnel in Massachusetts and one of the oldest in the nation,” Fiandaca said. “We’re working hard to provide as many options for mitigation as possible to those who are impacted by this restriction.”