Traffic expected to get worse this week during Sumner Tunnel closure
BOSTON - Week two of the Sumner Tunnel shutdown started with its first real stress test of the closure. The Monday morning commute, the first following a long holiday week, proved to be as frustrating as feared.
"When I got into the tunnel today, it was moving slow, 10 miles per hour," said Joanne Pomodoro. She has lived in East Boston her entire life and has voiced her concerns to local and state leaders for months. "Yes, we are angry and upset but we are also educated adults," said Pomodoro. "You don't need an education to know that this is weighing on our stress level. As a social worker, I am worried about road rage. I am worried about cardiac issues."
Governor Maura Healey spoke to reporters following a tour of the Department of Transportation's Sumner Tunnel Command Center. Healey said the project was on time and work continued in the tunnel 24/7.
"We are one week down in an eight-week project," said Healey. "This is a 100-year-old tunnel that has been long in need of restoration. Those repairs are happening now. It will result in a safer way and path for people in and around Boston. This is an opportunity for people to take advantage of the MBTA, the Commuter Rail, our ferries, and other modes of transportation. It will be good for the environment and will be good for our conditions on the roads."
Some drivers reported commutes taking twice as long Monday morning. By the afternoon, the terminals at Logan International Airport were delay free. Governor Healey warned that Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays would offer the worst congestion as more people commute into work on those days.
