State troopers on the scene of a crash on the Mass Pike in Weston.Photo: Massachusetts State Police (Twitter)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) – While flooding was a major concern early Friday morning, Massachusetts roads are getting more treacherous as conditions change throughout the day.
Kevin with Lowell Fleet Maintenance had been driving around since 4:30 a.m. He fixes broken down trucks, so he knows how to properly manage the icy conditions. On a day like Friday, Kevin said the most important thing is to take it easy and drive slowly.
“As you’re coming down 128 [in Newton], it’s starting to get slippery,” he said. “I’ve even seen three people off the side of the road, spinning out.”
Kevin said the problem lies with drivers trying to go too fast on the slick roads. He suggested not going more than 50 miles an hour.
“You start getting much faster than that and its slipping and sliding,” he said. “Maintain distance, don’t hit your brakes. If you have to do 45, stay 45. But give yourself plenty of stopping distance [and] give yourself an out.”
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Massachusetts State Police said Friday afternoon they had responded to "well over 200 crashes with either injuries or proper damage." One of those crashes was fatal. State police are telling people to expect travel delays as a result.
Tamra is a snowplow driver for Methuen and summed up the road conditions perfectly. She said as the sleet came down it started sticking to the ground just like snow, creating quite the mess.
“It’s pretty crazy. It’s worse than usual,” she said. “Stay inside unless you have to go out and if you go out drive slow and be very cautious.”
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Motorists south of 128 experienced more rain than anything else, but they still must be on high alert for risky roads as temperatures are expected to dip later in the day and into the night.
The National Weather Service says flash freezing can be expected across southern New England as temperatures quickly plummet into the 20s.
However, these road conditions were no big deal to Scott who drove down from New Hampshire. The retired truck driver has been driving in this kind of weather for years and while he said the roads looked better in Massachusetts, Scott heeded a warming to drivers with less experience than him.
“Just be careful," he said. "Don’t do anything stupid out there.”
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Dexter was out early Friday morning for work and stopped to get gas and coffee before heading back home for warmth and safety. He planned on unwinding by spending the rest of the day on the couch watching TV.
“There’s no school today so my daughter’s home so that’s what we’re going to do," he said.
A reality for many as Boston Public Schools and many other districts announced closures Thursday ahead of the storm. Governor Charlie Baker has also advised all non-emergency workers to stay off the roads if possible.
WBZ’s Suzanne Sausville (@wbzSausville) has more:
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