No Sumner Tunnel Shutdown This Weekend Due To MBTA Mess

BOSTON — The ongoing disruption in MBTA service will have the silver lining of the Sumner Tunnel staying open this weekend.

The state Department of Transportation said Friday: "Planned work is postponed due to travel impacts created by the suspension of regular MBTA service in the area."

Shuttle buses replaced parts of the Green and Orange Lines Friday morning after a "structural weakness" was found in the support columns.

The long-dreaded Sumner Tunnel weekend closures began earlier this month.

The tunnel linking much of Greater Boston to the north and west of the city East Boston and Logan Airport was to be closed for 36 weekends through May 2023 with the exception of holiday weekends.

The tunnel was open last week for Juneteenth and will be open next weekend for the Fourth of July.

The closures are part of phase 1 of the Sumner Tunnel Centennial Restoration Project and have resulted in an estimated three times longer trip to the airport through the alternative Ted Williams Tunnel.

More information on the closures and alternative travel options can be found here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)