This past weekend, the Sumner Tunnel was closed one last time in 2024, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced.
Now “considered substantially complete,” the weekend closure was one of five that were part of a two-year restoration project, according to MassDOT in a statement. While the closures were expected to continue until mid-November, any remaining work will be finished during off-peak operations.
This project consisted of 59 weekend shutdowns and two months-long summer closures, the department wrote. The Sumner Tunnel’s total rehabilitation effort comprised of work on tunnel ceiling, roadway, walls, wiring drainage and “additional improvements to increase safety and climate resiliency,” the statement read.
“The project is a major investment in the state’s transportation infrastructure and extends the tunnel’s useful life by at least 75 years,” according to MassDOT.
The pre-existing ceiling was removed to install more than 700 precast concrete arches, while new fireproof wallboard was installed throughout the length of the tunnel, MassDOT stated. As well, more than 500 new light fixtures were installed, along with new conduits and cables put in place. The whole length of the roadway was also repaved and relined.
State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver thanked “the traveling public and residents for their patience and support during this important project,” the statement read.
“We are thrilled that we have been able to deliver this project ahead of schedule,” Gulliver said.
MassDOT Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt echoed Gulliver in thanking commuters and residents, but noted, “We know this project created inconveniences for the public and particularly the people of East Boston.”