The Callahan Tunnel, which has been closed since late December, has re-opened — ahead of schedule. Given the way that public projects are usually completed in Massachusetts, this is a novelty.
While the headache of trying to find another way to get to the airport quickly from Beacon Hill for close to three months was beginning to wear on many residents, the good news is that it is now a thing of the past and we can go back to zipping to Logan Airport.
Congratulations goes to MassDOT’s John Romano and his team for keeping the community abreast of any situations as construction on the tunnel progressed and getting this project finished ahead of schedule and on budget.
Throughout the project Romano remained accessible, answered emails and phone calls in a timely fashion and MassDOT’s mailing list and route maps were a big help.
The tunnel closure by MassDOT was to complete a $34.9 million project to rehab the 52-year old tunnel’s deck, curb line, gutters and replace the tunnel’s wall panels.
After removing 117 wall panels from the Callahan Tunnel in December 2013 and an additional two-dozen panels from the adjoining Sumner Tunnel, MassDOT decided to remove all 2,400 panels from the Callahan.
The removal of the panels came after a 100 pound wall panel in the tunnel fell off the wall of the tunnel and landed in the road. The panels, which date back to the 1990s, are 9 feet bu 4 feet. and replaced older panels in order to give the tunnel a better look and reflect light for improved visibility in the tunnel for motorists.
After the panel fell, MassDOT was forced to shut down the Callahan so inspectors could perform a ‘pull test’ on the panels that line the tunnel.
After the inspections it was found that 117 panels did not pass the pull test and they had to be removed. MassDOT officials said the framing pins holding the panels in place had corroded.
So good job to MassDOT.