Gov. Maura Healey and outgoing Transportation secretary Gina Finadaca appeared together during Wednesday’s tour of the Sumner Tunnel but did not answer multiple questions surrounding Fiandaca’s exit from office after just seven months on the job.
In a surprise announcement Monday, the Healey administration said Fiandaca, who served four years as transportation commissioner under former Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, will depart from her post on Sept. 11 and stay in an advisory role for the rest of the year.
As an advisor, Fiandaca will continue to collect her $181,722 salary, according to MassDOT.
She was appointed last December and joined the administration in late January.
Fiandaca did not answer multiple questions Wednesday about why she is leaving and where she is headed next. Fiandaca was not fired, the governor told reporters.
Healey said that Fiandaca chose to “step down and to move on after completing what have been really important priorities,” such as the hiring of Phillip Eng as general manager of the MBTA, seeking federal funding for multiple transportation projects, implementing an immigrant driver’s license law, and helping with the Sumner Tunnel project.
Undersecretary of Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutt, who also attended Wednesday’s tour, will serve as acting transportation secretary, the administration said.
“We look forward to supporting her in the next chapter, as I know she will continue to support us,” Healey said Wednesday. “Secretary Fiandaca has done great service to the commonwealth. We thank her for that service, and we look forward to moving forward with continued leadership with the DOT.”
At the press conference, Fiandaca called the Sumner Tunnel project an example of “true collaboration and partnership” across MassDOT, including the MBTA, which offered discounted and free fare options for riders on the T, commuter rail and ferry as part of the state’s “Ditch the Drive” campaign surrounding the tunnel closure.
“Our crews here have worked around the clock alongside contractors with J.F. White, and they’ve set the example,” Fiandaca said. “The men and women of MassDOT set the example on managing the most impactful project that we’ve seen in this commonwealth in a very long time. For them, I want to just say, ‘well done,’ and I want to say, ‘thank you.'”
The Sumner Tunnel is due to re-open Friday after a 60-day closure that shut down the major connector to East Boston and Logan Airport, allowing crews working around-the-clock to install brighter energy-efficient lighting, new ceiling arches, improved ventilation, and stormwater pumps that can withstand more intense storms.
While Friday’s opening comes in time for Labor Day and the traditional move-in period for students across Boston, eight more weekend shutdowns are scheduled through the end of the year, according to Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. The first weekend closure will occur in two weeks.
And another two-month shutdown is planned next summer to allow the state to complete the rehab of the 90-year-old tunnel.
— Material from State House News Service was used in this report.
