Storrow Tunnel may need replacing. Structure wasn't waterproofed

[Ian David]

Storrow Tunnel may need replacing
By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff | July 24, 2007

State officials, who had planned to quickly and inexpensively fix the crumbling Storrow Drive Tunnel, have learned that it was not waterproofed when it was built in 1951 and may need to be replaced, a much costlier and more disruptive project.

Cranston R. Rogers, who was a structural engineer for the Massachusetts Department of Public Works in the 1950s, told officials at the state Department of Conservation and Recreation that the lack of waterproofing has led to such extensive structural damage that it would be impractical to repair the tunnel.

The news potentially spoils state plans to save money on the Storrow Tunnel project as officials confront other costly restorations, including a $200 million reconstruction of the Longfellow Bridge and rebuilding of the BU Bridge.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation just a month ago had eliminated all but three of the options for the tunnel and said it preferred the least expensive one, repairing it at a cost of $52 million over 2 1/2 years. It is now having to give serious consideration to costlier and more time- consuming options, including filling in the tunnel and constructing a surface road, at a cost of $80 million over 3 1/2 years, and building a bigger tunnel at a cost of $130 million over 4 1/2 years. The agency is also considering options that include elements of both plans.

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