Thursday, 4:30 PM
Truck moved out of Callahan Tunnel, morning commute moving
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent
This morning’s commute was relatively smooth as roads saw lighter traffic typical of a summer Friday.
The partially collapsed Interstate 90 connector tunnel remained closed, tying up traffic on Interstate 93 southbound and other roads downtown. For a time, a tractor-trailer truck made things worse when it got stuck in the mouth of the Callahan Tunnel, the main alternative for drivers heading to Logan Airport, East Boston and Route 1A north.
By 8:45 a.m., workers had removed the truck, but traffic in the tunnel remained slow. Drivers also had to hit the brakes on Interstate 90 in both directions downtown approaching exit 24, leading to the Ted Williams Tunnel and Interstate 93.
Interstate 93, however, continued to bear the brunt of the backups since Monday’s fatal collapse. Bottlenecks have been worse in the city since concrete ceiling tiles in the connector tunnel fell and crushed a car, killing a 38-year-old Jamaica Plain woman.
This morning there were also slowdowns at the Storrow Drive exit across the Zakim Bridge.
The Sumner Tunnel was moving, as was Interstate 95 and Route 128 outside the city.
Traffic watchers have been urging motorist to allow extra time for their commutes since the collapse. They have suggested leaving cars at home and taking the MBTA, which is running rush hour service on the Blue and Orange subway lines today as well as adding extra commuter rail trains. Extra service has also been added to the T's Silver Line service.
