Sumner Tunnel reopens for Monday morning commute after month-long shutdown
BOSTON - The Sumner Tunnel in Boston is open again. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation re-opened the tunnel at 4:20 a.m. Monday, just in time for the morning rush hour commute.
Why was the Sumner Tunnel closed?
The Sumner Tunnel had been completely shut down since July 5 for the next phase of the tunnel's restoration project. Asphalt was removed and the concrete was rehabilitated before the road was repaved. Drains were also replaced.
The goal is to extend the life of the tunnel another 75 years.
The tunnel will still be closed for the next three weekends and periodically through the fall. The Sumner Tunnel project is expected to be finished by November.
Last year, the tunnel was closed for two months to upgrade the ceiling and walls on the nearly 100-year-old tunnel. That project included 500 new lights, 711 concrete arches, 146 ceiling slabs and new fireproofing.
East Boston complaints
East Boston residents hope the work has been worth it, after more than a year of on-and-off closures.
"It's been less than thrilling having to go all the way around, so it just added 35 minutes or 40 minutes to the commute every time I need to drive in. But I appreciate the fact that the Blue Line's been free, so it's somewhat made it easier," East Boston resident Jonathan told WBZ-TV. "I'll go for a ride (Monday) and see all the new things that are in the Sumner Tunnel, I don't know if they painted it but I don't think it's going to change anything. Traffic is traffic, we live in Boston."
Rayna Smith said she's concerned the project is taking too long.
"Constant detours everytime," said Smith. "I don't think our Apple Maps, Google Maps, I don't think anything has picked up on the Sumner Tunnel being closed. That's kind of inconvenient for the people who work, especially after the summer."
Sumner Tunnel by the numbers
The state has released numbers for summer project.
- The tunnel was closed for 31 days during which construction was ongoing 24/7.
- Three shifts a day over 31 days equals 93 work shifts to complete the project.
- 13,516 square yards of concrete roadway were rehabilitated.
- 3,122 tons of asphalt paving was laid.
- 320 linear feet of granite curbing was replaced.
- 69 new drainage inlets were installed.
- 13,988 square feet of fireboard were installed.
- Mitigation costs for FY24 and FY25 totaled $13 million.
