‘Sorry about the traffic’: WWE host’s kidney donation behind closure of Ted Williams Tunnel

BOSTON — The Ted Williams Tunnel closed to traffic for two organ transplants Thursday, briefly disrupting the morning commute for thousands trying to navigate Boston.

A WWE host is now claiming partial responsibility for the shutdown. It was one of her kidneys speeding through the tunnel, on its way to help save a life.

According to a social media post by Megan Morant, her kidney donation was responsible for one of the two closures as it was driven to Logan Airport.

Although Morant says she doesn’t know where the kidney was going, she knows it will help make a life-changing difference.

“I don’t know where it went, but I hope it flew first class,” Morant wrote on Instagram. “I know this will change my recipient’s (that is still a stranger at this moment) life forever.”

The I-90 westbound lanes and the Route 1A southbound ramps to the tunnel were restricted around 8:15 a.m. to accommodate the transport, MassDOT announced at 8 a.m. as commuters hit the roads in and around the city.

The tunnel reopened to traffic shortly after 8:15 a.m. but residual traffic lingered for miles.

The ramps were restricted again at 11:45 a.m. to accommodate a second organ transport, MassDOT said.

The Ted Williams Tunnel and Tobin Bridge have been serving as alternate travel routes for drivers since the Sumner Tunnel closed earlier this month. MassDOT says they have been working with public safety and transportation officials to plan for scenarios like Thursday.

“We worked extensively on planning so that everyone knows their role and what to do in the event of something urgent,” said State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “We’ve been very confident in our approach and this was a great example of how it works in real time.”

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