BOSTON -- Opening ceremonies were held Thursday for the new Interstate 93 north tunnel, which will open to traffic later in the weekend.
NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that the process of opening the tunnel could cause traffic problems throughout the weekend. The normal Storrow Drive exit was closed Wednesday night, and Friday at 7 p.m., I-93 North will be reduced to one lane.
There were few traffic problems reported after the exit was closed. Commuters are advised to seek alternate routes until the new tunnel is open.
The tunnel is the beginning of the end of the project to take down the old, elevated Central Artery, which was built back in the 1950s.
"Is this a lousy road which is always congested? Yes," said former state transportation secretary, Fred Salvucci, who came up with the idea of burying the old central artery underneath Boston back in the 1980s. Now he's seeing it happen, along with the man who started the ball rolling, former Gov. Mike Dukakis.
"I'm excited about it. It's taken too long. It cost too much. But, we're finally getting it," said Dukakis.
The new I-93 northbound tunnel is the newest jewel in the Big Dig project, and along with the Leonard Zakim, Bunker Hill Bridge, it will officially open to the public Sunday.
The new stretch of highway will allow motorists coming in from the west and the south to enter the tunnel, travel under downtown Boston, and then climb right on to the Bunker Hill bridge. But getting motorists ready for the change will take several days. It began with the closing of the Storrow Drive exit. Drivers who normally take that route will be re-routed into Charlestown.
"They will be detoured up the Central Artery over the Charles River to Exit 28 and come back down toward Charlestown, City Square and Rutherford Avenue, to an on ramp that will take you right over to Storrow Drive," traffic engineer Glen Berkowitz said.
Commuters were advised to take the MBTA into Boston Thursday to avoid the confusion as officials prepare for the changes.
A larger problem could occur Friday night, after I-93 North is reduced to one lane. The change takes place at 7 p.m., and there is also a Boston Celtics game that night.
Traffic will be restricted until the new tunnel opens, which will occur at some point on Sunday. Motorists traveling north through the city will then get on the new Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge.
Copyright 2007 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
