Officials say this week will be a major test of the Sumner Tunnel closure, with many on vacation last week.
Driving around Boston's Logan International Airport on Monday, one didn't have to go far to see the fallout from the Sumner Tunnel closure.
"It is affecting everybody," said Billy Jo Caceres of Chelsea, Massachusetts.
The impact felt particularly hard in Chelsea. With the Sumner Tunnel closed until the end of August, drivers headed to Boston from the Logan Airport area have two choices — taking the Ted Williams Tunnel or to cutting north through Chelsea to take the Tobin Bridge.
On Monday afternoon, one double-parked car, one large semi truck and a lot of traffic showed the detour through Chelsea isn't easy. This route is not built for, or used to, this much traffic.
"You can't get around, you can't even get around in your own community, it is sad," said Caceres.
The city is being proactive, creating a detour around Chelsea to keep major streets in town as free as possible, and deploying officers around the city to help direct traffic.
More on the Sumner Tunnel closure
"We are seeing the city of Chelsea being pretty gravely impacted by the Sumner Tunnel closure," said Alexander Train of Chelsea's Department of Housing and Community Development. "Lot of traffic that would normally take the Sumner Tunnel spilling out into Chelsea roads."
Train says the city is also analyzing traffic numbers daily to see if it needs to make any changes between now and the end of August.
"What we don't want to see is chronic traffic jamming our streets up, adding to air pollution, delaying trying to get to work and school and impacting small businesses," he said.
Chelsea residents are preparing for a long summer with the Sumner closed.
"I think it is definitely going to be a long summer, and a bad one, too," said Sheila Rohena.
