Sumner Tunnel closes again this weekend
BOSTON -- The Sumner Tunnel is closed this weekend for the first time in weeks. It is supposed to close every weekend, except for major holidays, as construction takes place on the deteriorating infrastructure.
The project began early last month and was scheduled to last for 36 weeks.
The Juneteenth holiday, issues on the MBTA downtown, and the July 4th holiday have prevented the tunnel's closure for the last three weekends.
Drivers should anticipate the closure will have a ripple effect on traffic in the city.
Massport recommends giving yourself an extra hour to get to Logan Airport.
The tunnel closed at 11 p.m. on Friday.
Rideshare drivers at Logan Airport rely on the Sumner to get back into the city.
"It is very hard to get to the city from the airport. It's very hard," said rideshare driver Sappi Johal.
This will only be the second closure, but some drivers are already dreading it. They say the closure and resulting traffic in neighboring areas can put them in awkward positions with riders who are already tired from travel.
"Traffic all over the place, all around. Everett, Chelsea, Somerville," said one driver. "You don't want to be stuck in traffic with a rider inside of the car. People wanna get places faster, but no matter what, we got stuck in the traffic."
Still, some drivers say they'll be at Logan Airport this weekend because the one thing traffic makes them is more money.
"The longer hours you drive, the more money you make. So you got to deal with it no matter what," said the same driver.
There is a chance these rider pick-up lots at Logan could look empty over the weekend though, with many rideshare drivers saying it's not worth the hassle.
People have been encouraged to take the MBTA whenever possible. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and other mayors in neighboring communities have encouraged the T to make itself free during that period of time, but there is no definitive plan to make that happen.
The tunnel will open at 5 a.m. Monday morning.