Parsons Brinckerhoff designing Sumner Tunnel rehab

Boston — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation awarded a contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff to design a total rehabilitation plan for the Sumner Tunnel to extend its life another 75 years.

Opened in 1934, the Sumner Tunnel extends 5,700 feet under Boston Harbor. It carries Boston-bound traffic from East Boston and Logan International Airport to the city’s North End.

The rehabilitation plan for the tunnel entails complete removal and replacement of all architectural finish components, wall panels and supports, ceiling panels, and the roadway slab. Other project elements include repair of the structural arch concrete, a new jet fan ventilation system, and new tunnel systems, including tunnel lighting, communications, SCADA and TCS, fire protection and tunnel drainage.

Design is scheduled to be completed in February of 2016.