Big Dig: Lost In Chelsea

As if the constant gridlock, brown-outs, and stifling heat weren’t enough, now Bostonians can add “stranded in Chelsea” to their list of complaints. Yesterday afternoon, Massport nixed the exit 26 airport detour in favor of diverting traffic over the Zakim Bridge, through the winding flyaway ramps, and onto the Tobin bridge, ending at exit 27, Beacon Street. This, however, is not the Beacon Street of Brookline and brownstones. This is Beacon Street Chelsea, and once intrepid drivers veer off the OTHER Green Monster, they’ll find themselves in the middle of the most confusing mess of streets outside of Beacon Hill, with no signage to guide them to their final destination.

Bostonist discovered this the hard way late last night, when, in an effort to avoid the insanity of the exit 23 re-route, we decided to try exit 27 on for size. All was well until the Tobin, when the detour signs shrunk to the size of postage stamps and then disappeared entirely. The exit itself is barely marked – none of those big blinking signs here - and even if a well-seasoned traveler DOES manage to find the exit, there’s no indication of which way to head once you reach the bottom of the ramp. Thankfully, ours was a pleasure drive, so the 20 minutes spent circling a Dunkin’ Donuts didn’t pose a problem. However, those on a timetable should take note: the exit 27 detour substantially increases the risk of a missed flight.

Confounded, we did some research on this new scenic route to Logan and found nary a hint on any of the main government sites. The Masspike’s website makes no mention, and even this super-handy detour map hasn’t been clued in on the new diversion. Thankfully, Mac Daniel over at Starts and Stops has some better suggestions on how to get there from here, because Massport certainly has no idea. And actually, even after driving it, neither do we. After last night’s adventures, the adage rings true: you really can’t get there from here.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user O2ma