Callahan Tunnel Detours Could Impact Reading Drivers

Written by Chris Orchard

If you haven't heard, the Callahan Tunnel, which provides the quickest way for Reading residents to get to Logan Airport, will be closed until March 12 after the detour got underway on December 27.

If you need to get to the airport, MassDOT has provided maps of detour routes. Here they are:

• Points north to Logan Airport/East Boston
• North Shore to Logan Airport/East Boston
• Points west to Logan Airport/East Boston
• Downtown Boston to Logan Airport/East Boston

You can find more details and planning aids at the Callahan Tunnel Project website.

Driving to Logan from Reading

For many Reading residents, particularly those who would normally hop onto I-93 south and then take the Callahan Tunnel to Logan, the MassDOT "recommended" detour is this:

• Take Route 16 east until the Bell Circle Rotary in Revere
• At the rotary, take Route 1A south for 2.7 miles to Logan

Another option is to take I-93 south to Exit 18, Frontage Road.

• Stay straight at the Massachusetts Avenue ramp
• Turn left at the sign for I-90/Bypass Road
• Take Bypass Road 1.3 miles to the I-90 eastbound entrance
• Take I-90 to Logan

Folks in Reading may want to ignore MassDOT's recommendations and, instead, fight their way to the airport on local roads through Charlestown, Chelsea and East Boston:

• Take Broadway to the Sullivan Square Rotary
• Take Route 99/Alford Street Bridge north across the Mystic River
• Turn right on Beacham Street
• Continue straight when Beacham Street turns into Williams Street
• Turn right onto Pearl Street, which turns into the Andrew McArdle Bridge, which turns into Meridian Steet
• Drive through Central Square in East Boston and take a left onto Havre Street (it's a bit of a confusing intersection.)
• Drive straight onto Route 1A and follow signs for the airport

Of course, there's always the T. The Silver Line from South Station takes passengers directly to the terminals at Logan.

A $34.9 Million Project

The closure is taking place so workers can complete a full $34.9 million rehabilitation of the tunnel's deck, according to MassDOT. It says the tunnel opened in 1961 and is need of major repairs. Work will also include "grinding the deck down to its steel supports (called floorbeams) and pouring a new deck. The interconnected curb, which includes air exchange vents, has deteriorated through the years and will also be replaced. All the tunnel's wall panels will be replaced as well."

Once the initial phase of work is completed on March 12, you may still want to avoid taking any early morning flights. Work on the Callahan Tunnel will require the tunnel to be closed at nights, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., until late August.