A major tunnel closure that will impact several communities in Greater Boston is now less than three weeks away.
The Sumner tunnel will shut down for two months starting July 5, and one of the biggest concerns is how emergency vehicles will get through the traffic.
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The shutdown is expected to be so significant that transportation officials are urging people not to drive to Logan Airport during it. But for first-responders who need to drive, they have to have a game plan.
At Cataldo Ambulance, crews take the tunnel daily, responding to patients and transporting them to some of the biggest hospitals in Boston. They have spent the last few months coordinating with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the last few weeks going over alternate routes with their crews.
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"In this particular case, with the Sumner closing, we'll use Route 1 through Ted Williams or we'll take 99. Does it add to the commute? Yes it does. It's not significant, but it's not insignificant," said Kevin Turner, the chief operating officer at Cataldo Ambulance.
Turner said they hope the closure only adds a few minutes to the response time and he urged the driving public to help.
"My advice, move over if you see lights and sirens. Use patience and we will get through this," Turner said.
The Chelsea Fire Department is gearing up, too. They are making traffic adjustments where they can to try to accommodate drivers including first responders.
"Along the way, we're going to do everything we can to lessen the impact, but there's no doubt it will cause a delay for commuters and public safety," Chelsea Fire Chief Leonard Albanese said.
Part of the plan from MassDOT includes having extra Boston EMS ambulances stationed in the area during the shutdown. Places like the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center are also preparing for more patients who do not want to deal with the tunnel traffic.
Boston MedFlight is always on call, and some of the impacted communities have already reached out.
"Specifically, Revere and Winthrop reached out to talk to us about refreshing landing zones and making sure there staff is trained up," said Rick Kenin, the chief operating officer at Boston MedFlight.
Kenin said they are prepared to do more in-city transports if needed, knowing one way around the traffic is to fly out of it.
"We think we're probably going to be doing more from Revere, Chelsea, Winthrop and Boston Logan than we have in the past," Kenin said.
