Location Boston, Massachusetts Length .96 mi (1.54 km) Opened 1961 End East Boston | Route Route 1A north No. of lanes 2 Body of water Boston Harbor Start Downtown Boston | |
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Constructed high-strength steel and concrete infill Toll $1.50. EZ-PASS or "MassDOT Pay-by-plate" are both accepted at new electronic toll barriers. Owner Massachusetts Department of Transportation Operator Massachusetts Department of Transportation Similar Sumner Tunnel, Ted Williams Tunnel, O'Neill Tunnel, Tobin Bridge, Boston Harbor | ||
The Callahan Tunnel, officially the Lieutenant William F. Callahan Jr. Tunnel is one of four tunnels, and one of three road tunnels, beneath Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts. It carries motor vehicles from the North End to Logan International Airport and Route 1A in East Boston. Ordinarily, this tunnel is only used to carry traffic out of the city, and with the completion of the Big Dig it only collects traffic from I-93 southbound (right after traffic merges from Storrow Drive) and downtown Boston. There is a toll of $1.50 in both directions (eastbound in the Callahan and westbound in the Sumner tunnel. The toll barriers are all electronic. This means that if you do not have have EZ-PASS or a legal equivalent, an electronic camera will take a picture of your license plate, and send you a bill in the mail. This is often called "MassDOT Pay-by-plate". This all electronic tolling system was installed on the Tobin Bridge in 2014, and was completed along the Mass Pike in 2016.
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Map of Lieutenant William F. Callahan Tunnel, Boston, MA, USA
Repair work to this tunnel had resulted in a complete closure, which began at 11 pm on December 27, 2013 and ended on March 10, 2014, two days before the scheduled reopening. A second phase of work took place between March 13, 2014 to late August 2014, resulting in a closure 11 PM to 5 AM. From August to mid-November 2014, work was finished during off-peak hours.
Alternatives
Traffic flowing between Logan International Airport and directions south of the city on I-93 and west of the city on the Mass Pike (I-90) normally uses the Ted Williams Tunnel rather than the Callahan and Sumner Tunnels. Logan traffic can also use East Boston surface roads to and from Chelsea (Chelsea Street Bridge), Revere (Massachusetts Route 1A) and Winthrop (Massachusetts Route 145).
History
The tunnel was opened in 1961. It was named for the son of Turnpike chairman William F. Callahan, who was killed in Italy just days before the end of World War II. Operatic tenor William Flavin, of Milton, Massachusetts, sang the Star-Spangled Banner and Danny Boy at the opening of the Callahan Tunnel in 1961.
In 2016, booth-less toll systems were installed in both directions, entering the Sumner Tunnel and exiting the Callahan Tunnel as part of a plan to revolutionize toll collection the Boston area.
Historically, control signals were used to reverse direction of one lane in this tunnel or the Sumner Tunnel, when the opposite tunnel was closed for maintenance or emergencies. Under the relevant Turnpike regulations, a yellow signal light means "proceed only as directed", on penalty of a $50 fine. As the signals are almost always yellow, this rule is universally ignored by drivers. Other markings in the tunnel include a "double white line" in the center, intended to discourage drivers from changing lanes, to be penalized with a $100 fine.
The Callahan Tunnel was repaired in the 1990s.
A major overhaul began in December 2013, which will completely replace the deck, curbs, and wall panels; and clean and repair its ceiling and vent systems (above the ceiling and below the deck). It was planned for three phases: complete closure from December 27, 2013 to March 12, 2014 during deck and curb replacement; closures 11pm-5am from March 13, 2014 to late August 2014 for wall panel replacement; and finish work until November, 2014. McCourt Construction of South Boston was awarded the $19.3M contract in August. During closures, Logan-bound traffic is diverted into the Ted Williams Tunnel, Tobin Bridge, and Massachusetts Route 1A South via Revere or East Boston. Starting with the Accelerated Bridge Program in the late 2000s, MassDOT began employing accelerated construction techniques, in which it signed contracts with incentives for early completion and penalties for late completion, and used intense construction during longer periods of complete closure to shorten the overall project duration and reduce cost. These techniques are also being used for the Callahan Tunnel Rehabilitation Project.