Traffic Snarls Forecast During Summertime Tunnel Closure

Sumner Overhaul Will Also Test MBTA’s Ability To Move People

BOSTON, JUNE 22, 2023…..Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver flashed a map of roadways in and around downtown Boston and the Sumner Tunnel, showing most major thoroughfares shaded an alarming shade of red.

But the knot of scarlets and maroons wasn’t a forecast of the crunching traffic drivers will encounter when the tunnel closes early next month for eight continuous weeks. It was just a Thursday.

“This is not a projection. This is right off of Google Traffic and this is a typical Thursday afternoon,” Gulliver said about the map he presented to transportation officials on Thursday. “We are already dealing with very heavy traffic on a typical, ongoing basis. This is only going to get worse when that construction hits.”

After months of preparation and a major timeline shift, the first eight-week closure of the Sumner Tunnel is around the corner.

The 88-year-old tunnel, which Gulliver described as the second-oldest in the country, will be shuttered from July 5 to Aug. 31 while crews embark on a massive maintenance project involving replacement of its ceiling, installation of new ventilation systems, repairs to the overhead arch and more. A second similar closure is planned for next year.

Although the highway administrator said the window is “the best time of year to be doing this” because it typically has the lowest traffic volumes, officials expect the travel impacts will be substantial on virtually all motorists in and around the city.

Whenever possible, Gulliver said, state transportation officials “really, really want” Bay Staters to travel via public transportation during the shutdown.

To encourage a shift away from roadways, the MBTA will lift fares on the entire Blue Line in both directions during the duration of the closure. All fare gates between Bowdoin and Wonderland will be open, an extra train will run during the midday period to accommodate more riders, and parking lots and garages along the line will reduce their prices to $2 per day.

MBTA service continues to be hamstrung by staffing shortages as well as track defects that are slowing trains, and officials this springfocused their repair efforts on the slowest portions of the Blue Line in an attempt to improve its performance before the Sumner Tunnel closure.

Phil Eng, the T’s general manager, said Thursday that Blue Line trains are now averaging headways of less than six minutes during peak hours.

“We want to assure our regular riders and potential new riders that the T is a better option than driving,” he said.

The MBTA will also lower fares on the commuter rail’s Newburyport/Rockport Line to $2.40 per ride regardless of destination and reduce or eliminate parking costs, plus roll out ferry options including a no-cost East Boston ferry and a new weekday ferry between the Blossom Street dock in Lynn and Boston.

MBTA officials project that the agency will lose about $6.1 million in fare revenue as a result of its Sumner-related offerings.

It’s not yet clear which transportation agency will foot the bill: MassDOT, whose budget is relatively stable, the MBTA, where a shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars is projected to erupt once one-time federal funding runs out, or a combination.

“This is one of these things that we’re still trying to work out final costs on,” Gulliver replied Thursday when MBTA board member Chanda Smart asked whose budget would absorb the diversion costs. “We’ve started meeting between MassDOT, the MBTA and Massport to see what the appropriate split of costs would be amongst the three of us.”

Gulliver said the $136 million project contract with JF White of Framingham features a “heavy incentive and disincentive program.” The contractor will get a financial boost if they hit project milestones on time, and if they miss deadlines, they could face uncapped damages of $250,000 per day, according to Gulliver.

The one-way Sumner Tunnel carries vehicles from East Boston into the city’s downtown heart, including daily commuters from the North Shore. Gulliver said he expects about a 50-50 split of motorists diverted to the Ted Williams Tunnel and to the Tobin Bridge.

But those are not the only drivers who will face headaches this summer.

“It is very clear that there will be traffic impacts regardless of what direction you’re coming from,” Gulliver said. “Folks traveling from the North Shore and East Boston will be the hardest impacted, without a doubt. However, if you’re coming from the west or you’re coming from the south, you will also see additional congestion as a result of taking the Sumner Tunnel out of service for this entire period.”

The Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan International Airport, has been urging anyone catching a flight — including those who get to the airport by transit, not just motorists — to add two extra hours to their travel time while the Sumner Tunnel is closed.

Massport will boost the frequency of shuttle buses connecting the airport to the Blue Line by two-thirds, according to Gulliver, who also pitched the Logan Express — which will offer a 25 percent discount online — as a viable option for travelers who want to avoid the congested roadways.

“I would recommend, if you have the opportunity to be dropped off at one of the Blue Line stops — Wonderland, for instance — take the train to Airport [station], and then take the shuttle,” added Eng. “When I go to the airport or come from the airport, that’s the way I travel. Particularly during this closure with the Blue Line running the way it is right now, that would be the best, ideal. Don’t try to drive there, don’t try to Uber there. Take mass transportation.”