With about 40,000 cars that use the Sumner Tunnel every day, state officials know it's not going to be easy for those drivers once the tunnel is shut down for eight weeks this summer.
"We know it's going to be harder to get into Boston or to the airport when you have a major artery like this shutdown for that period of time," Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said Saturday.
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The lieutenant governor and the transportation secretary got a tour Saturday of the work that lies ahead as the nearly 100-year-old tunnel is about to get a major facelift, which will include structural repairs to walls.
"It's going to be so much traffic coming through here," said Gary Kaczorowski, a driver for the Green Shuttle out of Cape Cod.
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Kaczorowski says it hasn't been bad getting to Logan Airport on the weekends when the Sumner has been closed so far, but he's bracing for the worst as the eight-week long closure quickly approaches.
"I think during the week, all week long, it's just going to be a nightmare," he said.
The Massachusetts Port Authority is warning drivers who plan to come to Logan between July 5 and August 31 to give themselves an extra two hours of drive time with the expected increased congestion.
"You're going to be better off waiting an extra hour at Logan to catch your flight than missing it. We don't want anybody to miss those critical appointments," MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said. "Especially in the first couple of weeks when traffic hasn't settled in yet it's going to be much harder to actually gauge how long it's going to take."
The Blue Line will be free for riders going both ways during this time, officials also encouraging people to use the Commuter Rail or to take one of the ferries instead.
"We're really hoping that people will get out of their cars, ditch that drive and like it and stay using the commuter rail or public transportation afterwards," Driscoll said.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation says you can use the Mass511 website or download the app to get updates in real time.
