As snow fell across New England on Tuesday morning, crews worked to keep roads as safe as possible for drivers.
Mass. Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, alongside state transportation and emergency officials, held a media briefing during the 10 a.m. hour, discussing road conditions and praising crews on their preparation and overnight work.
"The important thing is that the team is prepared," Gov. Healey said. "This work is going on 24/7, 365 days a year. It's just like any event, you don’t just show up and play the game, you have to put the time in. And so all the work that goes into the maintenance of the trucks, the facilities, the environment and the grounds, all of that is happening year-round."
Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said that road conditions were "pretty good" but warned that some areas may be slippery.
"If you go further west you’re going to see some more slippery conditions especially on some of the local roadways and connecting roads," Gulliver said. "Those on and off ramps do get slippery. But right now we’re feeling pretty good about where we are."
Gulliver also warned drivers about the potential for freezing overnight.
"As the night goes on and the temperature drops, there is going to be some chances for some of those areas to refreeze," Gulliver said. "We’re going to be keeping staff on overnight tonight, smaller numbers, to make sure we have enough salt down to treat those areas and make sure that its going to be good for tomorrow morning's commute."
Healey also made mention of an ongoing effort to increase recruiting efforts aimed at hiring more winter road crews.
"We just encourage people to come," Healey said. "There are people who have been doing this a long, long time. It’s really also important work. It’s civic work. Its public service. Keeping our roads clear and safe. We’re not able to go about and live our lives without the work of these men and women. So we really encourage people to check it out."
Many school superintendents opted to cancel classes Tuesday — there were widespread school closures. Courts in Massachusetts were opening late, at 10:30 a.m., though ones in Worcester, Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties were closed all day.
MassDOT said just before 4 a.m. that it had nearly 1,800 pieces of equipment deployed in response to the winter storm. A speed restriction was put in place on the Massachusetts Turnpike from the New York border to Palmer, and no tandems nor special permit vehicles were being allowed, due to the weather.
Around 7:20 a.m., a crash was reported on Route 1 in Saugus, where a car hit a pole. On Interstate 95 south in Burlington, the left lane was blocked during an incident. Meanwhile, a crash on Route 3 in Hanover, with a traffic backup extending close to Marshfield.
There was also a three-car crash in Milford on I-495 south, blocking the left and center lanes.
The main problem areas on the roads early Tuesday morning seemed to be south of Boston.
Around 5:30 a.m., there were two crashes being reported on I-495 north in Middleboro, and another on Route 24 north in Taunton.
There were also multiple spin outs in the Foxboro and Mansfield area.
"I've been through to Stoughton, Brockton, Pembroke area, Foxboro, Mansfield," Rashad Ellis, a snow plow driver said. "So Stoughton, out there, roadways are kind of slick. Apartments, you got to be careful when you're walking around. The ice will get you. There's a lot of slush underneath so it's hard to push it around because it's just a soupy mess.
In Worcester, plows, salters and sanders were seen treating the main roads, but side roads remained slick.
Further west, there was a tractor trailer crash in Blandford on the Mass Pike eastbound on Tuesday morning, closing down the left lane on both sides of the highway. That scene has since been cleared.
In New Hampshire, state police said at around 7:30 a.m. that troopers were responding to multiple crashes and vehicles off the road, urging people to drive for the conditions and to stay home if they can.
