Local News

Debris falls in Prudential Tunnel, damaging several cars

Concrete debris fell from the Prudential Tunnel’s ceiling Friday afternoon, which officials attributed to a freeze-thaw cycle.

A section of concrete collapsed onto Interstate 90 in the Prudential Tunnel in Boston on Friday, officials said.

February 22, 2025

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Debris fell from the ceiling of Boston’s Prudential Tunnel on Friday, damaging several cars and causing traffic disruptions.

The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. in the left and middle travel lanes on the westbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike, under Huntington Avenue, according to Massachusetts Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver.

No injuries were reported, said Gulliver, who described the damage to vehicles as minor. The westbound side was closed to traffic for about two hours while crews worked to remove the debris and inspect the area. Gulliver said crews checked for “other major issues” and didn’t identify anything concerning.

Gulliver said a non-structural section of concrete at an expansion joint fell due to a freeze-thaw cycle. Saturated concrete froze and became loose once temperatures rose and thawed it.

“The exact same weather action that causes potholes causes things like this,” Gulliver said at a press conference Friday. “It’s a very, very rare occurrence that we have a failure in a joint for anything overhead.”

MassDOT released a surveillance video that showed the moment debris fell onto tunnel traffic. The footage shows the material falling in front of vehicles, just missing them. Several cars then drive over the concrete, which Gulliver said caused their damage.

Gulliver said crews would return to the scene on Friday night to shield the joint involved in the incident as a precaution. He said MassDOT will also send workers this weekend to inspect other Boston-area tunnels for similar issues.

“We’re going to take whatever action is needed throughout the weekend to make sure that those systems are safe,” Gulliver said, emphasizing that the tunnel is secure for travel.

“I want to assure people, I drive through the tunnel, I drove through it to get here today, I’m going to drive through it to get back,” he said.