The tunnel connects Route 90 to Logan International airport and is considered a major part of the Central Artery Project or the Big Dig, the massive $14.5-billion highway project going on in the heart of the city. "There are two major pieces of the Central Artery Project--the third harbor tunnel to the airport, and the construction of I-93 under the city. By opening the I-90 Connector from the MassPike Extension to the Ted Williams Tunnel we have completed the third harbor crossing portion of the Project," says Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew J. Amorello. The Turnpike Authority oversees the project.

The new connector extends the Massachusetts Turnpike from its current terminus at Route 93 near South Station and Chinatown under the rail tracks and under the Fort Point Channel through to the Ted Williams Tunnel and onto Logan Airport.

The Authority notes that this direct, 3.5 mile route to the airport is expected to save drivers as much as 45 minutes off the current route.