Boston — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is advising the public to plan ahead if traveling late today through Saturday as a winter storm is forecast to impact roadways in many regions especially west of Worcester. The storm system will travel west to east with accumulating snow up to 12 inches in some areas predicted in Franklin, Berkshire, and Hampshire counties and mostly light rain and heavy rain for Eastern regions of the state.
“The weather should be monitored closely if you are planning to travel in the next three days,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “Several inches or more of snow is in the forecast [for] Western and Central regions of Massachusetts and periods of heavy rainfall are in the forecast for Eastern Massachusetts. Please plan ahead and make smart decisions about travel as conditions will vary region to region.”
MassDOT has approximately 3,600 pieces of state and vendor equipment available should it be needed, and processes in place to reallocate vehicles and equipment should an instance occur where additional resources are needed in a particular area of the state. MassDOT Highway District offices deployed crews and equipment several days ago, and deployment decisions for this storm will be made, in part, according to the timeline of precipitation.
Massport advises travelers flying to check with airlines about flight schedules as plane arrivals and departures will depend on how the storm system impacts states outside of Massachusetts.
For the most up-to-date information on transportation impacts, please check Twitter: @MassDOT, @MBTA, @MBTA_CR, @MassDCR, and @MassRMV.
For more information on traffic conditions travelers are encouraged to:
- Dial 511 and select a route to hear real-time conditions.
- Visit www.mass511.com, a website which provides real-time traffic and incident advisory information, and allows users to subscribe to text and email alerts for traffic conditions.
- Follow MassDOT on Twitter @MassDOT to receive regular updates on road and traffic conditions.
- Download MassDOT’s GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions before setting out on the road.
