The closure of the Sumner Tunnel, a major artery for Boston connecting East Boston and Logan Airport to the city’s North End and I-93, enters its second day Thursday, with local leaders expected to travel on the MBTA Blue Line, to continue promoting alternative ways of getting around the area.
The Sumner closed Wednesday and will remain off-limits to drivers through the end of August while major repairs are made to the aging infrastructure.
The tunnel takes Route 1A into the city and about 39,000 cars pass through it every day. Most of them are expected to be diverted to the Tobin Bridge or Ted Williams Tunnel, but officials hope people will “get off the road” and use other modes of transportation when traveling through the East Boston area, where it is located. Logan International Airport.
The MBTA Blue Line is offering free rides throughout the shutdown, taking riders from Wonderland in the Revere Beach area to Bowdoin in downtown Boston. The Blue Line makes several stops in Revere, East Boston, and Downtown, as well as Logan. Wednesday morning’s trip on the Blue Line appeared to go smoothly, taking just under 30 minutes to get from one end of the line to the other.
Parking at Beachmont, Orient Heights, Wonderland and Suffolk Downs was reduced to $2 a day during the shutdown. There seemed to be plenty of parking available on Wednesday, which marked the first day.
“I think it’s very important to note that these transportation alternatives are robust and were developed by the state in consultation and coordination with a wide variety of stakeholders,” said Kate Dineen of A Better City.
Some commuters on Wednesday were already changing their plans to get to work, including Rick Cuervo.
“Usually I drive to the Cambridge area, so I take Storrow Drive, go through Sumner Tunnel,” Cuervo said after boarding the Blue Line in Revere. “I was actually talking to my girlfriend, she works in Brookline, it took her an hour and a half to get there and she was driving… So she’s taking the T.”
The Sumner Tunnel was originally built in the 1930s and is in the midst of a major restoration project that will include a new roof, new road surface, repaired walls, and new lights. It has already been closed on weekends, which will continue into the fall after full closure. Another full shutdown is scheduled for next summer.
