As anticipated by state leaders and transportation officials, Tuesday has proven to bring major traffic headaches for drivers in the Boston area, as the Sumner Tunnel shut down closes in on the one-week mark.
Transportation officials have warned that the busiest days for commuters are going to be Tuesdays through Thursdays, especially now that people are back from vacation. Traffic has been funneling through the remaining two main arteries into Boston — the Ted Williams Tunnel and the Tobin Bridge.
Aerial images showed major traffic around Logan Airport during the morning commuter on Tuesday. Speed was reduced to below 10 miles per hour at around 7 a.m. along the two major Sumner Tunnel detours, creating significant delays for commuters on week 2 of the tunnel closure.
A lot of the traffic coming through the Ted Williams is from Logan Airport, and although the bulk of the problem is getting from East Boston to the city, there is a domino effect that can impact I-93 and the Mass. Pike.
"If you get into Logan coming from the South Shore, or if you're coming from west from that as well, so really encouraging you to give yourself a lot of extra time," MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said.
The Sumner Tunnel is closed through the end of August for major repair work. During that time, transit officials have urged commuter to "Ditch the Drive" by taking public transportation — including the Blue Line, which is free during the tunnel closure.
"Last week was the kickoff, of course, and a holiday week. Mondays and Fridays tend to experience reduced traffic. So certainly, I think this whole week will be a test," Gov. Maura Healey said Monday.
Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll visited the Sumner Tunnel Command Center on Monday morning and took questions from the media. She said she wanted to be there to assess how things are going and to thank the workers.
"This is all about teamwork, everybody pitching in," she said. "We're a week down in an eight week project and so far construction is on schedule and going well."
Healey also continued to pitch the "Ditch the Drive" campaign, urging people to take the Commuter Rail, T and ferries to avoid driving to Logan Airport during the construction. She also thanked the public for their patience in dealing with the issues caused by the project.
MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver joined NBC10 Boston for a virtual interview Monday morning in which he said everything has been in line with expectations so far, and there was already additional congestion through the Ted Williams Tunnel and over the Tobin Bridge to start this work week.
"We expect that, especially during the peak hours, to be the case throughout the duration of this project," he said. "Everybody is coming back this week. This is a real test this week and next to see what people are going to do. Are they going to make other choices? What kind of travel patterns are they going to settle into?
