The Ted Williams Tunnel (planned as the Third Harbor Tunnel, the Sumner and Callahan Tunnels being the first two) is the tunnel connecting South Boston with Boston's Logan International Airport. It carries the final leg of the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) under the Boston Harbor allowing direct access to Route 1A in East Boston.

Some Bostonians have taken to referring to it simply as "The Teddy". It was the first major link constructed as part of Boston's Big Dig. It is constructed from ten steel sections fabricated in a Baltimore shipyard. These sections were then brought near the site and each was fitted with a large surrounding mass of concrete (so that the completed tunnel wasn't buoyant). Using additional flotation, the tunnel sections were then floated into place, sunk, and joined to the other sections. At this point, the steel panels sealing the now-joined sections could be cut out and the finishing operations could commence.

The TWT opened in 1995, but initially, only commercial traffic was allowed to use it. Later, non-commercial traffic was allowed on weekends and holidays. Since 2003, with the substantial completion of the I-90 portion of the Big Dig, the tunnel is open to all traffic at all times.

The tunnel is named for the legendary Boston Red Sox baseball player Ted Williams, the last player with a batting average over .400.

The tunnel is 8,448 feet (2,575 m) long, of which approximately 3,960 feet (1,207 m) is underwater.

A toll of $3 is collected in the westbound direction, and the Fast Lane electronic toll collection system is available so you don't have to wait in traffic. Commercial traffic from the airport (like taxis) pay a toll of $4.50, which is passed onto the rider.

On July 10, 2006, at approximately 11 p.m., a steel tieback that suspends the concrete drop ceiling inside the tunnel structure failed in the I-90 Connector eastbound tunnel leading to the Ted Williams Tunnel, causing four three-ton sections of ceiling to collapse. A section of ceiling fell on top of a car traveling through the tunnel, killing 38-year-old passenger Milena Del Valle and slightly injuring her husband Angel Del Valle, who was driving.

See also

• Big Dig
• Sumner Tunnel
• Callahan Tunnel
• Mass Pike

Toll tunnels in Massachusetts | Transportation in Boston | Tolled sections of Interstate Highways