I thought my fiancé was messing with me when she told me the meaning behind the colored tiles inside the Boston tunnels when we were driving through them last weekend.
Have you ever driven through a tunnel in Boston and noticed the walls? Most tiles are bright white, but some are blue and others brown. Like, the there is a strip about halfway up the tunnel wall that run the length Those colors are not random – they tell drivers if the tunnel is under water or dirt! –whdh.com
In the Ted Williams Tunnel under Boston Harbor, blue tiles mean you’re driving beneath the ocean. In the O’Neill Tunnel under city streets, brown tiles mean you’re under land and soil. The white tiles? They’re just there to bounce light and keep the tunnel bright and clean.
When did this color code start?
This color code is part of the Big Dig, the huge project finished in 2007 that built these modern tunnels. Engineers and designers wanted a simple way to show what’s above the road without signs or words.
Was it always like this?
No. Older tunnels, like the Callahan and Sumner from the 1930s and 1960s, don’t have colored tiles. They’re plain and old-fashioned. The color idea started with the Big Dig to make new tunnels safer and more interesting.
Why do they do it?
First, it helps emergency crews know fast if a problem is under water (like a leak) or land. Second, it’s a cool, quiet way to teach drivers about the hidden world above…