Sumner Tunnel shutdown forces some rideshare drivers to reconsider trips from Logan Airport
BOSTON – At the ride share pick-up line at Logan Airport, finding an Uber or Lyft ride wasn't the biggest problem for those returning from 4th of July travels.
"It came in like two minutes. I think my guy's here," Victoria Izsa said as her Uber driver pulled up.
It was the stop and go traffic going into the city that caused the most frustrations. Those are the delays transportation officials warned you about now that the Sumner Tunnel is closed for repairs.
"I try to not take the rides coming from the airport," Uber driver Kassandra Hernandez said.
It's a massive headache that began early Wednesday morning and lasts through the end of August.
Hernandez told WBZ-TV that she'll avoid East Boston at all costs.
"It's so frustrating because only to pick up 1-2 people, you lose three hours or four hours of the day," Hernandez explained.
That means 3-4 hours of cars inching toward the Ted Williams Tunnel, which is an alternate route for those going to and from East Boston.
"It's more complicated when it's the weekend," Hernandez added.
And we're not even in the thick of it. On the day after the long holiday weekend, what would've been a five-minute drive through the Ted Williams Tunnel took more than 20 minutes to drive less than two miles. Next week will be the real test when people on vacation for the holiday return to work.
"I have my car here so I'm planning a lot of traffic going to and from work here," Izsa said.
Here's some light at the end of the tunnel – the Blue Line will be free for passengers through the end of August.
