Thursday, 4:30 PM
P.M. commute slow despite ramp opening
The afternoon commute saw little change from the recent norm today after last night's opening of a South Boston ramp leading to Logan International Airport.
The same was true for the morning commute, with few vehicles using the newly opened Ramp A in South Boston to access the eastbound Ted Williams Tunnel. It was the first time in nearly a month that regular traffic could take the route to Logan after the July 10 ceiling collapse in the Turnpike connector tunnel.
Traffic was slow north and southbound in the O’Neill Tunnel, and congestion was building around Leverett Circle and on the Southeast Expressway.
A 7 p.m. concert at the Hatch Shell was expected to cause further problems on Storrow Drive and the Leverett Connector.
On I-93 north, pockets of congestion were reported from Milton to Boston, with heavy traffic reported between the new detour route at Exit 18 (Massachusetts Avenue) and the O'Neill Tunnel entrance.
Officials said the ramp opening should ease congestion caused by the tunnel detours, especially from the south, where drivers can now use the Massachusetts Avenue exit and the South Boston Bypass Road to access the newly opened ramp. The ramp takes drivers through a portion of the Turnpike connector and into the eastbound Ted Williams Tunnel.
The ramp had been closed for almost a month after the July 10 tunnel collapse that killed a Jamaica Plain mother. That led to the closure of a series of Big Dig tunnels after inspectors discovered what they said was the systematic failure of ceiling bolts holding up a dropped concrete ceiling.
Tonight, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority plans to resume collecting tolls at the mouth of the westbound Ted Williams Tunnel. Tolls had been waived at the plaza since the July 10 incident.
