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Rocky Nook chosen as site for underwater Boston commuter tunnel

 
(KINGSTON, MA, APRIL 1, 2002) Kingston officials met this week with Massport and federal representatives to discuss a massive federal/state construction project for Kingston that would, in the words of one official, "make the Big Dig look like child’s play."

The project, officially termed "Really, Really Big Dig," calls for construction of an underwater commuter tunnel to run between Gray’s Beach at Rocky Nook and Logan Airport. The entrance for South Shore commuters will be at the edge of Rocky Nook. The tunnel would run approximately 35 feet under the bottom of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bays, and will be approximately 32 miles in length. Massport officials, calling it "the biggest tunnel construction project of all time," said that the Ted Williams Tunnel has proven so effective in commuter traffic that they want to duplicate that success elsewhere.

Kingston was selected as host site for this tunnel because of its central location on the South Shore. Surveys indicate the tunnel will carry between 5,000 and 10,000 cars daily, and this would have a significant effect on clearing the traffic burden on Route 3. The tunnel will serve as the main thoroughfare for travelers from Kingston, Plymouth and the Upper Cape who wish to commute directly to Logan Airport or the North Shore. A Massport official told town officials this week, "Kingston is the ideal choice because it is centrally located on the South Shore. Underwater travel is very underutilized and we think it’s the wave of the future. Besides, Duxbury didn’t want it. And, what the heck, you guys never say no."

The tunnel is viewed as an alternative to widening Route 3 and as a major step in assisting commuters from Kingston, Plymouth and even the upper Cape who travel to Boston and beyond. Additionally, this will make commuting from the South Shore to the North Shore much easier, and will relieve pressure on the MBTA. The second phase of the project calls for construction of a second tunnel from Logan Airport to Gloucester, so that eventually, people will be able to commute from Kingston to anywhere on the North Shore and avoid the Route 3 traffic jams.

Construction of the Kingston to Boston tunnel is expected to begin late this year, after a few hearings that state officials term "largely a formality." It will take somewhere between 2 and 5 years to complete the tunnel, depending on federal funding, environmental considerations, and the tides. It will cost commuters $10 each way to use the tunnel; state officials say they intend to return a portion of this fee to the town of Kingston. "We’re thinking somewhere between 1 and 2 cents per vehicle," said the official, who added, "Hey, I’ve been reading that your town has deficit problems. This oughta help."

Kingston residents will be offered a reduced rate for use of the underground tunnel, because this is the host town. One official estimated that instead of the $10 that the regular rank-and-file commuters will pay for the tunnel trip, Kingstonians will pay only $9.95.

A large toll booth and entryway will be constructed at Rocky Nook, where the tunnel will begin. Additionally, state officials anticipate building a parking lot and administrative offices, as well as a large lot for storage of the construction equipment that will be on site until the tunnel is completed. Officials estimate that the state may need to buy a considerable amount of private property on the Nook to get contruction underway. A conservative estimate is that to 500 residences will be taken by eminent domain in order to widen the access road (Howlands Lane), store the construction equipment, and build the tunnel. State officials declined to be more specific about details of the land-taking, saying, "We’ll get back to you."
Economists see the tunnel as a real boom for Kingston, saying, "Just think how much more desirable this town will be to live in now. Kingston will attract nice, young families by the thousands. With that tunnel, Kingston becomes a destination town for anyone, anywhere to call home."

When pressed by a Kingston official as to other fees or taxes the state intended to pay Kingston for the use of the land and the inconvenience of having its roads ripped up and properties taken, one Massport official offered, "We’ll tell you whatever you’d like to hear."

The project is expected to meet with opposition from town officials, as well as environmental groups, who question the wisdom of burrowing through 32 miles of previously untouched ocean bottom. In particular, planning board members were said to be upset about the prospect of up to 10,000 more cars coming through town to read the tunnel. However, a spokesperson from Governor Jane Swift’s office said that this was basically a "done deal."

(Note: This is the first attempt to revive an old Kingston newspaper tradition — the April Fool’s story. Any resemblance to actual events is somewhere between totally coincidental and mildly possible, depending on who you believe and how far you read between the lines. In Kingston, which some refer to as the "Political Twilight Zone," the line between the real and the unlikely is often blurred. We include the story at this time because this edition of the newspaper is the closest one to the first of April’s date. Don’t worry. None of this could ever really happen...right?)