'Grin and bear it,' Sumner Tunnel closure tests drivers' patience one week in
BOSTON - One week into the Sumner Tunnel shutdown and some drivers are already counting the days until it's over.
"I think we've got 51 more days," Bob Roberts, the owner of RCR transportation told WBZ-TV.
Traffic in and around Logan Airport began picking up Tuesday as predicted by transportation officials.
"It's horrible. I've been driving in and out of here for a long time and it just took me almost an hour to go from up there at the departures gate A to come here, so I'm not looking forward to it," said livery driver Dan Donovan.
Kevin Tatum flew in to Boston from California Tuesday, only to find himself in a holding pattern, waiting for a friend to fight traffic to get to him.
"I don't know what part of the city they were coming in from, but they said they were about 20 minutes from the airport and that was over an hour ago, so it's been a wait," he told WBZ.
Livery drivers who've been making multiple runs to and from Logan each day through the Ted Williams tunnel say they've encountered delays ranging from 15-to-30 minutes during the mornings and 45 minutes to an hour during the evenings, courtesy of the closure.
"There's really no rerouting. The options, if you go out through Chelsea over the Tobin, doesn't really help, just got to grin and bear it. You'll get through it as long as there isn't an accident," Roberts said.
The state looking at the entire week as a test warning. Thursday is expected to be the busiest travel day of the week. That's welcome news to a select few.
"I'm not working Thursday, it works out great for me," said Donovan.
Governor Maura Healey said construction inside the Sumner Tunnel is on schedule so far.
One week down, seven to go.
For more information on the shutdown and detours, click here.
