Callahan Tunnel To Close for Three Months in 2014

A major connector between Boston’s North End and East Boston will be shut down for three months at the beginning of 2014.

The Callahan Tunnel will close beginning in January 2014 and ending three months later with intermittent overnight closures for four to five months thereafter for a “complete rehabilitation,”according to a Massachusetts Department of Transportation statement released Thursday.

“The Callahan has served motorists well since the day it opened in 1961 and was paired with the Sumner tunnel,” MassDOT Highway Administrator Frank DePaola said in the statement. “However, every aspect of the tunnel is in fair to poor condition, and the time has come to put the Callahan in shape to last another 50 years.”

There will be “extensive public outreach” to determine the best available detours and alternate routes during the closure, according to the statement.

The $34.9 million tunnel overhaul will include rehabilitation of the 52-year old tunnel’s deck, curb line, gutters and replacement of the tunnel’s wall panels.

MassDOT has scheduled two public informational sessions regarding the closure:

• Thursday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Nazzaro Community Center, 30 North Bennet St.
• Wednesday, June 26 at 6:30 p.m. at East Boston High School, 86 White St.

According to the statement:

In December 2012, a single wall panel fell during evening rush hour. There were no injuries to motorists, damage to vehicles or structural concerns; however, three additional panels are removed as a precaution that evening. MassDOT immediately in December conducted an overnight pull-test of all 2800 panels inside the Callahan Tunnel, removing approximately 120 panels due to either advanced corrosion or as a precaution. In January 2013, plans were carried out to remove all the panels from the Callahan to ensure safety, resulting in dim conditions but no structural issues.