Ted Williams Tunnel

Infobox Bridge
bridge_name=Ted Williams Tunnel


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crosses=Boston Harbor
locale=South Boston, Massachusetts to Logan International Airport
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mainspan=3,960 feet (1,207 m)
length=8,448 feet (2,575 m)
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open=1995, 2003
closed=
toll=westbound: $3.50 (non-commercial)
$5.25 (commercial)
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The Ted Williams Tunnel, also known as the Williams Tunnel, is the name of the third harbor tunnel under Boston Harbor, the Sumner and Callahan Tunnels being the other two, that connects South Boston with Boston's Logan International Airport. It carries the final leg of the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) under the Boston Harbor allowing direct access to Route 1A in East Boston. The tunnel is named after the former Boston Red Sox baseball player and Marine air corps veteran Ted Williams.

History

The tunnel was the first major link constructed as part of Boston's Big Dig. It is constructed from twelve "binocular" shaped steel sections fabricated in a Baltimore shipyard. These sections were then brought to the Black Falcon Pier near the site and each was fitted with a large surrounding mass of concrete (so that the tunnel section was more neutrally buoyant). Using additional flotation, the tunnel sections were then floated into place, lowered into a dredged channel, and joined to the other sections. At this point, the steel panels sealing the now-joined sections could be cut out and the finishing operations could be completed.

The TWT opened in 1995, but initially, only commercial traffic was allowed to use it. Later, non-commercial traffic was allowed on weekends and holidays. Since 2003, with the substantial completion of the I-90 portion of the Big Dig, the tunnel is open to all traffic at all times.

The tunnel is 8,448 feet (2,575 m) long, of which approximately 3,960 feet (1,207 m) is underwater. A toll of $3.50 is collected in the westbound direction, and the Fast Lane electronic toll collection system is in use. Commercial vehicles, including taxis, pay a toll of $5.25 [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | url=http://www.masspike.com/pdf/tolls/tunnel_tolls.pdf | title=Ted Williams and Sumner Tunnel Fee Schedule | publisher=Massachusetts Turnpike Authority | date=2008-01-01 | accessdate=2008-01-01] , which is passed onto the rider

Big Dig ceiling collapse

On July 10, 2006, at approximately 11 p.m., a steel tieback that suspends the concrete drop ceiling inside the tunnel structure failed in the I-90 Connector eastbound tunnel leading to the Ted Williams Tunnel, causing four three-ton sections of ceiling to collapse. A section of ceiling fell on top of a car traveling through the tunnel, killing 38-year-old passenger Milena Del Valle and slightly injuring her husband Angel Del Valle, who was driving.

On July 20, 2006, Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney ordered the eastbound lanes of the Ted Williams Tunnel to be immediately shut down after two ceiling supports showed signs of slippage. At a press conference, Romney stated that "pull tests" were to be conducted in the eastbound tube to test the stress load on the bolt/epoxy system that supports the drop ceiling. An independent contracting firm was to conduct that test. Romney said the shutdown should last "hours, not days." [cite news | first= Scott| last=Helman | coauthors=Mac Daniel | url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2006/07/romney_closes_t.html | title=Romney closes Ted Williams Tunnel| publisher=The Boston Globe | date=2006-07-20 | accessdate=2006-07-20] [cite news | first= CBS 4 Boston| last=| coauthors=| url=http://cbs4boston.com/topstories/local_story_201125108.html| title=Romney Shuts Down Part Of Ted Williams Tunnel| publisher=WBZ-TV CBS 4 | date=2006-07-20 | accessdate=2006-07-20] The next morning, the eastbound lanes of the tunnel were opened to MBTA Silver Line buses as well as commercial buses running to Logan Airport. [cite news | first= CBS 4 Boston| last=| coauthors=| url=http://cbs4boston.com/topstories/local_story_202070837.html| title=Ted Williams Tunnel Reopens To MBTA, Logan Buses| publisher=WBZ-TV CBS 4 | date=2006-07-21 | accessdate=2006-07-21]

Late in the evening of August 8, 2006, I-90 connector ramp A leading to the Ted Williams Tunnel was reopened to general traffic, easing the crunch on Logan Airport traffic coming from the south. Cars heading to the airport northbound on the Southeast Expressway (I-93) would get off at exit 18 and take the South Boston Access (Haul) Road to Ramp A, eliminating the need to go through downtown Boston and U-turn at Storrow Drive to access the Callahan Tunnel. [cite news | first= Mac Daniel| last=| coauthors=| url=http://www.boston.com/news/traffic/bigdig/articles/2006/08/09/connector_ramp_to_logan_reopens/| title=Connector ramp to Logan reopens| publisher=The Boston Globe| date=2006-08-09 | accessdate=2006-08-09]

On September 1, 2006, one eastbound lane of the connector tunnel which collapsed was reopened to traffic.

ee also

* Sumner Tunnel
* Callahan Tunnel
* Massachusetts Turnpike
* Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge
* Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel
* Big Dig ceiling collapse

References

* (http://www.tsomides.com/news/downloads/Tunnel%20Design1.pdf)
* (http://www.masspike.com/bigdig/background/twt_built.html)
* (http://www.masspike.com/pdf/tolls/tunnel_tolls.pdf)

Notes

Crossings navbox
structure = Crossings
place = Boston Harbor
bridge = Ted Williams Tunnel
bridge signs =
upstream = Callahan Tunnel
upstream signs =
downstream = Boston Harbor
downstream signs =