The Sumner Tunnel will be closed every day for the next two months starting Wednesday, and public officials are again urgently warning travelers to “ditch the drive” for the period.
“This is by far the most impactful project that we have undertaken at some time, and the impacts will be evident and immediate around the project area,” said Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver at a press conference in advance of the closure. “Drivers coming into the region should expect to experience severe congestion, especially around the connecting roadways to the Summer Tunnel.”
The tunnel, one of four routes into the city, is now closed 24/7 from midnight last night to midnight on August 31. The closure will allow crews to complete vital maintenance on the nearly 90 year old tunnel.
After August 31, the tunnel will go back to weekend closures every week before closing for another two month period next summer.
Around 39,000 cars typically go through the tunnel every day, according to MassDOT.
There are measures in place easing barriers to use any public transport and mitigate costs for residents during the period, which are listed in detail on the MassDOT “Mitigation During Full Tunnel Closure” page.
These include: free MBTA rides on the Blue Line, free and reduced costs on ferries including the East Boston ferry and the a newly launched Lynn ferry; reduced fares on the commuter rail, several free Chelsea bus routes and Silver Line routes, and reduced parking fees at MBTA and Commuter Rail lots.
“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…not realizing that there was another way they could have made their lives just a little bit easier or in their commute a little bit more convenient,” said Mayor Michelle Wu at a press conference a week before the closure.
Travelers who need to drive should prepare for an extra two hours of travel time, officials said, and may see multi-mile backups on detour routes at certain times of the day.
Gulliver said the city is really expecting to see major delays kick in when residents return from holiday trips around July 10.
There will be reduced tolls on the Tobin Bridge and Ted Williams Tunnel for people in the resident discount program, transportation officials said.
Wu also noted that for the duration of the closure, the city will be shifting some resources, with public works teams only collecting yard waste on Saturdays and extra Boston EMS ambulances deployed for emergencies in East Boston.
There will be real time monitoring at 13 critical traffic intersections during the closure, and officials directed residents to the Mass 511 app and website for updated travel information.
During the closure, Gulliver said, over 200 personnel will be “removing nearly 4,000 linear feet of ceiling panels, installing 326 linear feet of recast iron segments, and upgrading the lighting, communications and life safety systems of the tunnel.”
“We are very confident our plan,” said Gulliver. “We have a lot of work into this. And we really want this to be a successful and manageable project, and we really need the public’s help to get as many vehicles off the road as possible.”