The Sumner Tunnel is a road tunnel in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It carries traffic under Boston Harbor in one direction, from Logan International Airport and Route 1A in East Boston. The tunnel originally deposited traffic at the west side of the North End, but with the completion of the Big Dig, it was modified to have two exits. One exit connects to I-93 northbound and downtown Boston (Government Center) near Haymarket Station. The other exit connects to Storrow Drive and Nashua St., connecting Cambridge via Route 28. Traffic headed for I-93 southbound and the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) westbound is normally routed to the Ted Williams Tunnel. It is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

History

The Sumner Tunnel was opened on June 30, 1934. It carried traffic in both directions until the opening of the parallel Callahan Tunnel in 1961. The Sumner Tunnel is named for William H. Sumner, the son of Governor Increase Sumner.

Until 2009, it was managed by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, when it was transferred to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The tunnel has been shut intermittently for modernization from summer 2022 through summer 2024. It was fully closed from July 5 and August 5, 2024, and on weekends from August 9 through November 15, except for August 30 and October 11.

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File:Sumner Tunnel.png|Showing the Sumner Tunnel (in red)

File:Sumner Tunnel shield.jpg|An old shield for the Sumner Tunnel, with the Masspike hat. This shield is no longer used.

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See also

  • Big Dig (Boston, Massachusetts)
  • Callahan Tunnel
  • Massachusetts Turnpike
  • Ted Williams Tunnel
  • Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel
  • Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge

References

  • Sumner Tunnel construction photographs, 1929–1933, University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston