Sumner Tunnel Closure Week 5 Status Report
August 14, 2023
A Better City continues to monitor the impacts of the #DitchTheDrive campaign using publicly available data from MassDOT and the MBTA. We will continue to provide periodic updates on the restoration project, traffic patterns, and public transit use trends until the tunnel reopens on Friday, September 1st.
Today’s update offers a status report on Week 5 of the closure (7/31/23-8/4/23), prepared by Caitlin Allen-Connelly. As you will see in the Week 5 update, people are continuing to opt to #DitchTheDrive―taking advantage of many of the public transportation options available for the duration of the closure. In particular, in comparison to pre-closure averages, we observed a 21% increase in ridership on the Commuter Rail and a 105% increase on the ferries in week 5.
As a reminder, the following options are available. We encourage you, when possible, to take one of the alternatives.
- Free trips on the MBTA Blue Line and free paratransit service within ¾ of a mile of the Blue Line;
- Free and reduced cost water ferry options, including a free East Boston ferry a new ferry service between Lynn and Central Wharf;
- Reduced Commuter Rail fares;
- Reduced parking costs at MBTA and Commuter Rail parking facilities;
- Free bus service on select bus routes in Chelsea; and
- Additional options for travelers to and from Logan Airport.
For more information on these alternatives, click here or visit mass.gov/sumner-tunnel.
