Boston Herald reports, “The city’s summer of traffic torment will soon come to an end, after the governor and MassDOT officials announced work on the Sumner Tunnel is done enough that it will reopen on time [tomorrow]. Closed at the start of July, the 90-year-old [toll] tunnel connects the North End with Logan Airport and points beyond. Its closure, planned to allow construction crews 24-hour access to the tunnel for an interior roof replacement project, has meant a drive north that used to take a resident 10 minutes on Route 1A might instead take an hour through detours.” MassDOT is in the midst of a challenging multiyear, $157-million rehabilitation project that includes wall and ceiling replacements, roadway resurfacing, and installation of new lighting, GPS equipment, fire alarms and surveillance systems. Although the reopening is welcome, “weekend closures will continue sporadically from now until next Summer, when another two-month-long closure is scheduled so that MassDOT can replace the tunnel’s asphalt decking and shore up underlying concrete.” The article looks at the infrastructure changes 39,000 daily motorists will notice as they return to the Sumner, as well as the lessons learned during this year’s full closure. (TRN moved a link in the quoted text.)
