On Monday, Massachusetts DOT declared its $160 million Sumner Tunnel restoration project “substantially complete” and announced that further periodic closures will not be required. The department stated all remaining work can be completed during off-peak hours.
Last week saw the end of full weekend work closures that were initially expected to continue into November. MassDOT highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver commented, “We are thrilled that we have been able to deliver this project ahead of schedule. I want to thank our [lead] contractor, JF White, who worked tirelessly with our team at MassDOT to find ways to accelerate this important work. I also want to thank the travelling public and residents for their patience and support during this important project.”
Started in 2022, the rehabilitation effort aimed to extend the 90-year-old tunnel’s useful life by at least 75 years. Work was so extensive that it required two lengthy summertime closures — they created major metro Boston mobility problems — as well as 59 full-weekend closures. Among other things, contractors removed a suspended ceiling and installed more than 700 precast concrete arches and new fireproof wallboard throughout the facility. The roadway, curbing, and drain inlet were completely restored, and light fixtures, conduits and cables were replaced. (TRN inserted a link in quoted text.)
The Boston Globe covers this story.