SUMMERTIME SUMNER JOB
Tunnel to shut down for two months
The Sumner Tunnel will be shut down completely for two months this summer, about half of the time originally planned, for the continued restoration of the major thoroughfare into downtown.
But the abbreviated schedule this year means a similar shutdown will take place next summer, further impacting travel for drivers who have already dealt with weekend closures since June, according to an announcement from MassDOT.
Drivers will be unable to access the 90-year-old tunnel for eight and a half weeks, from July 5 to Aug. 31. Initially, the tunnel was set for a four-month closure, from May to Sept. 4, MassDOT said.
“Since launching the Sumner Tunnel restoration project last year, we have been working closely with our contractor to identify every opportunity to reduce travel impact,” said Highway Administrator
Jonathan Gulliver in a statement.
“Breaking up the full closure for only eight and a half weeks this summer, rather than four months, significantly benefits regional travelers, local businesses and area residents.”
This period between July 4 and Labor Day historically has the lowest traffic volumes of the year, and occurs when school is out of session, “making it much more manageable for traffic management,” according to a MassDOT statement.
Weekend disruptions will continue until the full closure begins on July 5. The tunnel will be shut down for a similar twomonth period next summer, as part of the $156.6 million construction project.
MassDOT is forming a project mitigation working group, which will include stakeholders impacted by the full tunnel closure, such as public transportation entities, public safety organizations, municipalities and nonprofits.
State Sen. Lydia Edwards said she expects to be part
of this working group, as the north-of-Boston district she represents, which includes East Boston, Revere and Winthrop, is the most impacted by the Sumner Tunnel closures.
Edwards said the weekend closures “are still difficult,” and hopes the revised schedule, which delays a full shutdown by two months, will provide enough time for certain
mitigation measures to be implemented.
“My biggest concern, and most people’s biggest concern is what’s going to happen when it’s full-time, and how we’re going to make sure that emergency vehicles can still move as fast as possible,” Edwards said.
She would like to see a regional ferry that would service downtown Boston, Lynn, Quincy and Winthrop
residents by this summer.
Edwards has also pushed for free MBTA Blue Line service, low or free commuter rail fares and more frequency on lines coming into Boston from the north, access to certain parking lots on Route 1A and at Suffolk Downs, and a contraflow lane in the Ted Williams and Callahan tunnels.
“Use this opportunity, not just to fix the Sumner Tunnel,” she said. “I would be disappointed if at the end of the day, after all this, all we have is a tunnel the same size as it was before, that is just repaired.
“Instead think big. Use this opportunity where we’re slowing down traffic, where we’re doing all these things, to build bigger beyond that.”