Getting from Logan Airport to downtown Boston has never been easy even for those familiar with the region’s roads. But if you’re flying in this summer from Los Angeles, Europe or Asia and this is your first time to Boston, how will you ever find your way out of Logan to your ultimate destination?
The Sumner Tunnel will be fully closed for two months starting next week, July 5. The mile-long underwater link between East Boston and downtown has been closed on most weekends since last summer as the state works to restore the aging tunnel.
Massport officials say the key is communicating with those new arrivals, before and after they touch down in East Boston.
Logan’s Director of Aviation Ed Freni says airlines have been asked to provide information about the Sumner closure and alternate transportation in all email correspondence with their passengers.
“In the international arena, we've worked with the airlines so that they will notify people when they make their reservations that when coming into Boston, they are aware of the conditions with the tunnel closure and can plan ahead,” he told GBH News.
New digital signage on transit options will be deployed at baggage claim areas and throughout all terminals.
Perhaps the most effective tool will be the dozens of extra customer service staff who will be at Logan. The ambassadors, some of whom will be multilingual, will direct travelers to alternate transit like the Silver Line, the Blue Line, Logan Express buses and the many ferries that will be running to the North and South Shores.
Freni realizes that navigating the city this summer will be difficult especially for first-time visitors.
“We’re hoping that, in advance, they can make arrangements either through public transit or some other way to avoid the congestion.”
Among the many changes being made in anticipation of clogged Boston roads, Blue Line service will be free and more frequent, Logan Express bus tickets will be discounted, and the East Boston pilot ferry will continue running for free. Other transit modifications during the closure include some lower fares for the commuter rail and parking fees.
Although Massport officials are pleading with people not to drive, anyone who does will see additional signage along on roads leading in and out of Logan and state police to help keep traffic moving. The airport’s rental car center will also provide drivers with recommended routes around the Sumner Tunnel.
Last July, more than 3.5 million passengers passed through Logan Airport.
Jim Rooney, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, says getting information to travelers about what transit alternatives there are will be crucial.
“Certainly the locals — and Bostonians, in particular — will readily understand their alternatives,” he said. “But the new arrivals, particularly during the summer months when there's expected tourism, will depend on that communications issue.”
He said the ambassadors who will personally help travelers must be well informed.
“I’m speaking from experience ... sometimes you're in a city and you go talk to an ambassador and they welcome you and they're very friendly, but they're not always as helpful as you like,” Rooney said. “So we need to make sure that they have the knowledge and the information that they need.”
But despite the congestion problems that are surely coming, Rooney said he has not heard of it causing businesses or groups to change their plans.
“I don't think so. I mean, I've not heard that. There's a lot of anticipation, and we and other business groups are partnering with Massport on getting the word out,” he said.
The Sumner Tunnel will be go back to closing on most weekends through the fall and winter, and it fully close again next summer.
Despite the preparation, Freni admits the next two months won’t be easy.
“It's going to be very difficult for everybody,” he said. “And we just hope people will be patient and give themselves extra time.”
