The Mount Washington Transit Tunnel will close from 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. nightly for two years beginning Monday for repairs, the Port Authority announced.
Crews from Wellington Power Corp. will be installing LED lighting, controls and supports as well as upgrading the ventilation fan system and substation transformer, said Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph.
No light rail and bus traffic will be allowed through the tunnel while construction is underway. Mr. Brandolph said there should be no delays outside of construction hours as the plan for 8 p.m.-to-4:30 a.m. closures includes time for setup.
Commuters should expect to add 10 minutes to their commute times as the light rail and bus traffic will be rerouted through Allentown. All light rail and bus stops will be served except for the Station Square light rail station.
Port Authority will provide a shuttle service between the Station Square station and the First Avenue station for commuters. No additional light rail stops will be added.
Those who regularly travel on the light rail should be familiar with the Allentown detour. The Port Authority uses it when the tunnel needs maintenance, most recently in January when a faulty sewer drain led to debris collapsing inside the inbound tunnel.
Bus routes 39, 40, 41, 44, Y46, Y47 and Y49 traveling inbound will be detoured through Allentown and the same routes traveling outbound will be detoured through the Wabash Tunnel.
Mr. Brandolph said the construction time would be cut by about one-third if crews worked around the clock, but officials decided on the overnight work out of “convenience” for commuters.
First Published: July 2, 2020, 9:09 p.m.
