BOSTON (WHDH) - East Boston residents spoke up on Thursday as they brace for the impacts of a planned nearly two-month closure of the Sumner Tunnel beginning next month.
The main artery connecting East Boston to the rest of Boston is slated to shut down beginning on July 5 to make way for needed repairs.
With closing time near, the state Department of Transportation held an open house to community members to ask questions and voice concerns on Thursday.
“A nightmare,” said East Boston Resident Debbie Raso. “ A total nightmare.”
Weekend closures already in place on most weekends for the past year have given drivers a preview of what to expect.
“On a Saturday night, if we want to go out for dinner, a 15 minute drive, usually, is an hour and a half,” Raso said.
“I don’t have to commute,” said resident Judy Lyons. “I feel bad for those who do.”
This week’s MassDOT open house aimed to let community members ask last-minute closure-related questions.
In East Boston, some residents who spoke with 7NEWS said leaders mapped out the closure with tunnel vision, not fully considering neighborhood impacts.
Lyons said her biggest concern centers on the question of how ambulances and other emergency vehicles will cut through the congestion.
“The tunnel does need to be done, but not in a way where you’re putting people’s lives at stake,” Lyons said.
State officials have announced mitigation measures ahead of the upcoming Sumner Tunnel closure, including plans to stage extra ambulances in East Boston.
Other measures include fare-free Blue Line service, reduced fare on the Commuter Rail and either free or reduced-fare harbor ferry rides.
Together, MassDOT hopes the measures will alleviate some of the disruption as crews repair the nearly 90-year-old Sumner Tunnel.
Some, though, have concerns.
“The way the T has been? I don’t trust it,” Lyons said.
“I don’t use the T,” said resident CJ Livingtstone. “I wouldn’t use the T.”
At Thursday’s open house, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said he’s confident recent Blue Line upgrades have made the line’s service faster and more reliable.
Still, he and other transportation leaders have asked everyone to be patient and prepared.
“The Sumner Tunnel is overdue for this restoration work and it’s part of keeping the community safe,” said state Secretary of Transportation Gina Fiandaca.
The Sumner Tunnel closure this summer, beginning on July 5, is set to continue through August 31.
See more information on planned mitigation efforts during the upcoming tunnel closure here.
Another two-month closure is scheduled for next summer.
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