Motorists driving through Big Dig tunnels will, at long last, be able to chat on their cellphones uninterrupted.
A frustrating dead zone for Boston cellular users since they opened four years ago, the tunnels will be fitted with wireless antennas within months, following approval last week by federal highway officials. The Federal Highway Administration said it is satisfied that attaching cables to tunnel walls that are held in place with epoxy anchors will not pose any danger.
The failure of epoxy anchors caused the Interstate 90 tunnel ceiling collapse that killed 38-year-old Milena Del Valle of Jamaica Plain in July 2006. Federal authorities said state engineering reports convinced them the wiring would not cause a similar collapse, because the wireless antenna cables will be lightweight and hung on walls instead of ceilings.
The approval could mean the end of one of the biggest aggravations for Boston commuters - the lack of cellphone service in the $15 billion tunnel system. The problem has been all the more annoying to motorists and politicians because it was not the result of a difficult engineering question.
"This is something that's long past due," said John Walsh, the Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman, who talks nonstop during his drive from Abington to the party's Charlestown headquarters.
"I've learned to adapt to reality. As I come around the gas tanks in Dorchester I start evaluating the conversation, trying to figure out whether I'll make it through the tunnel. Sometimes I'll get off in South Station, which adds about 10 or 15 minutes to my commute. About one in six times, I keep talking until I get cut off."
Now, with the federal clearance, four large wireless companies have told officials with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority that they will install the equipment in stages, beginning in about two weeks.
The project, which could cost up to $7.6 million, will be paid for by the carriers and be completed within three to six months, the companies said.
Service in the city's other tunnels, including the Sumner, Callahan, Ted Williams, and in most major tunnels in other cities, has been available for years.
Since 2001, the Turnpike Authority has promised that wireless would also be available in the 10 miles of roadway that make up the Interstate 93 tunnel, named for former US House speaker Thomas P. O'Neill Jr., and the I-90 tunnel linking the Mass. Pike and the Ted Williams Tunnel.
But the plan has been beset with delays.
For three years the companies haggled with the Turnpike Authority over how much they would pay to lease the tunnel space and install the equipment.
The Turnpike Authority wanted to charge the companies the same rent they were paying in the other tunnels; the companies wanted to pay less.
In June 2006, fed up lawmakers ordered the Turnpike Authority to sign a lease with the companies within six months, or the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy would step in and set the rent.
In November 2006, ATT Wireless,
(The delays and legislative action worked in the carriers' favor: The rent is substantially less than the $400,000 a year each company pays for service in the other tunnels).
Officials said they do not foresee any special tunnel-related hazard of talking on cellphones while driving.
"Distracted driving is an important issue not only in the tunnels, but on roads throughout the Commonwealth," said Turnpike Authority spokesman Mac Daniel. "Though we have had no major safety issues in the tunnels that currently have cellphone service, we'll be closely monitoring the introduction of the service to the main tunnels and the I-90 connector and will act accordingly if we spot a trend."
State Senator Michael Morrissey, who also multitasks during his commute from Quincy to Boston, said the lack of service in the tunnels is a more serious public safety concern.
"I'm surprised more people haven't been in accidents because they have to redial," he said.
"It's a safety issue when people are stranded in the tunnel and can't call for help. And it hasn't exactly helped commerce or business in the Commonwealth when you have to say: 'Wait, I'll call you back. I'm going into the tunnel,' " he said.
