Full closure of Sumner Tunnel gets shorter timetable for this summer
BOSTON - The full closure of the 88-year-old Sumner Tunnel for construction this summer won't last as long as originally planned, MassDOT said Thursday.
Instead of shutting down from May to early September, the new schedule calls for the tunnel to close to traffic between July 5 and August 31. Another full closure in 2024 will also happen between July and August.
State transportation leaders call this their most impactful project of the next couple of years. While drivers can still expect major delays, the two closures will happen at the end of the summer, which has the lowest traffic volume, and when school isn't in session and more people might be traveling. That means a long timeline but a schedule less disruptive to drivers.
Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said the new closure timetable for this summer is "basically half as long" as originally planned.
"What we're doing is removing the floor of the tunnel and the ceiling," Gulliver said. :We really didn't think it was possible to do them in two separate phases. What our contractor came up with is a way that breaks that up so it's two months this year and two months next year."
After a taste of the chaos to come with 26 weekend closures since last summer, some drivers say the split schedule makes sense.
"It's actually good news for me. I like that. I'd rather do that and split it up in sections," said one driver
And some drivers just want the repairs to be over.
"It's terrible, terrible" said one driver. "Get it over with the summer and let it roll."
"Uh, I don't know about that. It will affect longer; like, longer time will be more stressful - all summer," said another driver.
While the Sumner Tunnel is closed, drivers will need to detour through the Ted Williams Tunnel or Route 1 across the Tobin Bridge.