City girds as connector shuts indefinitely

Boston officials ordered all work stopped yesterday on the Rose Kennedy Greenway and other nearby construction projects, as the city braced for crowded streets resulting from the indefinite closing of the Massachusetts Turnpike connector.

As cars clogged downtown, state officials urged drivers to use public transportation until the connector reopens, worried that after relatively light traffic Tuesday, commuters were reverting to driving into the city.

Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew J. Amorello announced yesterday that the connector, which links Interstate 90 with the Ted Williams Tunnel and Logan International Airport, would remain closed during an extensive examination of roadways for construction flaws.

Amorello said the connector would reopen only when inspectors are certain of its safety, but declined to be more specific.

Meanwhile, traffic that would typically travel through the milelong connector is being detoured mainly onto Boston streets and filling them, with accidents causing major tie-ups. During rush hour yesterday afternoon, traffic crawled throughout the city and into the Interstate 93 tunnels.

There were indications yesterday that the removal and examination of ceiling panels inside the connector was going slowly. Even after work crews complete their inspection, it remains unknown how long it may take to fix the problems and complete safety checks.

If flaws are discovered elsewhere in the project or on nearby roadways, additional closings could be necessary.

A prolonged shutdown could be costly. Boston police deployed some 60 extra officers at key intersections across the city yesterday to direct traffic, and the MBTA has added trains and ferry service.

In addition, a long closure could have an impact on business and tourism, said Senator Jack Hart, Democrat of South Boston.

``I'm concerned greatly," Hart said. ``If we don't correct this situation immediately and give people the sense around Greater Boston and around the country frankly, that we have a safe city, with safe infrastructure, then we could feel the repercussions of this catastrophe for many years to come."

``For now, we need to find out if those tunnels are safe, period, and send that message to people," Hart said.

Boston police added the 60 officers because ``we just didn't know what the residual effects would be of the tie - ups," said Superintendent Robert Dunford. Dunford said he believes yesterday's congestion was primarily the result of some drivers' unfamiliarity with the detours.

Dunford added: ``Hopefully it won't be there long enough for people to become familiar with it."

One of the major innovations of the Big Dig and certainly among its most popular features with drivers is that the project made it possible for those who live west of the city to drive directly to Logan Airport without getting onto Interstate 93 or city streets.

Now, with the closing of the connector, traffic headed to the Callahan Tunnel is back on city streets, especially around Atlantic Avenue, Government Center, and the North End.

Acting city Transportation Commissioner Thomas J. Tinlin said traffic engineers noticed a huge number of cars headed to Logan using the Callahan yesterday between 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., well before the morning commute got underway.

``I have to say this: The more people who decide to bring their cars, the less success we're going to have and the more frustration they are going to have," Tinlin said.

Storrow and Memorial drives also experienced heavy backups yesterday afternoon, while secondary roads such as O'Brien Highway in Cambridge and Somerville, normally busy but moving, were jammed.

In addition, the Southeast Expressway began backing up at midday and remained heavily congested into the evening rush hour.

``The whole system is thrown out of whack," said Paul J. Scapicchio, a former city councilor who said it took nearly 90 minutes yesterday to get from a parking lot in South Boston to pick up his daughter in the North End and get home to East Boston.

``When you take away a big piece [of the roadway system away], it makes an overflow everywhere," Scapicchio said.

Transportation officials say the impact of the closing would be far worse if it had occurred at another time of year, rather than in July when traffic is generally light and many people are on vacation. Councilor James M. Kelly of South Boston said people in the neighborhood have been taking days off from work or working from home to cope.

City officials also credited the alliances made when Boston hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2004 with helping quickly plan for the detours.

Some commuters were clearly heeding the advice to shift to public transportation.

The MBTA's Quincy-to-Logan ferry service doubled ridership yesterday, with the T adding more runs. Also, the Hingham commuter boat's 1,600-car parking lot, typically 75 percent full, was at capacity Tuesday and yesterday, with 700 additional riders taking the boat, officials said.

Subways and commuter rail trains were packed, as well, with some Orange Line riders saying they had to wait for three trains to pass before they could find room to get on.

In addition, the Silver Line service to Logan Airport was back to its normal schedule yesterday, with buses running every 10 minutes via an emergency ramp to the Ted Williams Tunnel.

Extra commuter rail service is being added today, with additional midday runs between Salem and North Station, Anderson RTC and North Station, and South Station and Route 128 station.

MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said the additional service throughout the system would continue into the weekend.

Logan Airport has seen a 60 percent increase in ridership on its Logan Express bus lines over the last two days, said Danny Levy, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs the airport.

Visitors to the city yesterday said they would return to Boston, despite questions about the safety of the Big Dig.

Many tourists interviewed yesterday said they would still take the I-90 connector back to Logan Airport, if the tunnel reopens.

``What is the probability it will happen again?" said Birgit Keerd Leppik, 30, of Estonia, whose husband, Ahti Leppik, was inside the convention center in South Boston for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference.

Mac Daniel can be reached at mdaniel@globe.com., Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.