Known to locals as the South Station Tunnel (due to its proximity to the city's main train station), the Dewey Square Tunnel is of cut-and-cover design, and originally was six lanes wide (three in each direction), with no breakdown lanes. The Central Artery, elevated for most of its length, was so reviled because it cut off views of and access to Boston's historic waterfront. It was derisively called "the other Green Monster" (not to be confused with the famous left-field wall at nearby Fenway Park with the same nickname). Because of public outcry, it was decided that the final section of the artery was to be put underground.
The Dewey Square Tunnel is receiving new life as part of the massive Central Artery/Tunnel (Big Dig) project. It is being rehabilitated and will serve as exclusive southbound lanes of I-93, connecting at its current northern portal with the new underground southbound lanes of the new artery. The refurbished tunnel, which will have 5 travel lanes, is now expected to be fully open by March 2005.
This came to be known as the DeweySquare or South Station Tunnel.
Central Artery construction concluded in 1959 with the opening of the DeweySquareTunnel and the Southeast Expressway to Braintree.
The Williams Tunnel interchange in South Boston is at the center of a vital new development area for Boston, the seaport, with a new convention center and related projects.
Tunnel workers encountered many unexpected barriers, ranging from glacial debris to foundations of buried houses and a number of sunken ships lying within the reclaimed land.
A tunnel underneath Leverett Circle connecting eastbound Storrow Drive to I-93 North and the Tobin Bridge opened December 19, 2004, easing congestion at the circle.
As of late 2004, leaks have sprouted in the tunnel.