Driving in the Sumner Tunnel: Restoration September 2023

The Sumner Tunnel reopened on Friday, Sep. 1, in time for Labor Day weekend. The restoration project will then enter its third phase when it is once again closed on weekends - 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday - starting Sept. 8.
The third phase is expected to last into the winter, but the tunnel will be open on the weekends of Oct. 9 (Columbus/Indigenous Peoples' Day), Nov. 17 (pre-Thanksgiving) and Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving).
The Sumner Tunnel carries vehicles one-way from East Boston into downtown, including daily commuters from the North Shore.
Massachusetts officials said that corrosion and wear-and-tear have caused significant impacts to the tunnel including crumbling concrete, rusted reinforcements, cracked wall panels, broken light fixtures and a deteriorating road surface.
"At this point, we're well beyond patches and repairs: The only way to keep the Sumner Tunnel in service is with a top-to-bottom restoration," state officials wrote in a summary of the project.
Ventilation, drainage, security and fire suppression systems will all be brought up to modern standards, the state said.
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