BOSTON (WHDH) – The Sumner Tunnel has reopened following a month-long closure for repairs, officials said.
The tunnel closed July 5 and is back open exactly one month later.
While touring the tunnel with reporters, state highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver credited crews for their work in recent weeks.
“These guys have been doing a great job keeping the pace that they needed to and even doing a bit of bonus work too,” he said.
Crews have been working to restore and repair the 90-year-old Sumner Tunnel for several years, periodically closing the tunnel on weekends to make way for some of the work. Before this year’s month-long shutdown, the tunnel closed for two months in the summer of 2023.
Recent work focused on structural repairs to the roadway within the tunnel.
Speaking Thursday, Gulliver said crews worked 24 hours per day, seven days per week during the shutdown. He said crews will continue working until the tunnel reopens at 5 a.m. Monday.
Though this year’s closure and the longer closure last summer snarled traffic in East Boston and beyond, Gulliver said “this was well worth it.”
“We know that it’s been difficult, especially for the residents of East Boston,” he said. “We’re really happy to have been able to get this work done and extend this tunnel’s life for another 75 years or more.”
“We’re going to be able to return to a normal maintenance schedule from here on out,” he said.
Uber driver Manuel Betancourt was relieved to see the tunnel back open on time.
“I just wanted to come see with my own eyes,” he said. “We can go back to doing our regular job. It was over an hour to do something that takes 20 minutes.”
Authorities still plan to schedule a series of weekend closures at the Sumner Tunnel through the end of the year.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)