Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announces blizzard update, lift of travel ban except local restrictions for New Bedford, Fall River, Brockton and others

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey is announcing that she will lift the travel ban for Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable and Dukes counties at noon on Tuesday. Residents are still advised to use caution and stay home if possible to allow for crews to continue their cleanup efforts. Those who need to travel should prepare for icy, snow-covered and slushy conditions on the roadways. The state of emergency remains in effect for all counties except for Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin. A number of communities, including New Bedford, Fall River, Brockton and others still have local travel restrictions and parking bans which remain in place. 

“While we are lifting the travel ban, the state of emergency remains in effect for some counties, and we urge people to continue using caution and stay home today if possible to allow crews to do their work,” said Governor Healey. “Our teams continue to be out in full force to support cities and towns after this storm, providing equipment and personnel to help with snow removal and other efforts. We know that there are still many households without power, and the utilities are working hard to assess damage and restore power as quickly and safely as possible. We thank the people of Massachusetts for their patience and caution while we work to get back to normal, and we are especially grateful for all of the workers who continue to be out here around the clock to deliver for our communities.” 

The State Emergency Operations Center and MEMA’s Eastern Regional Emergency Operations Center and Barnstable County Emergency Operations Center remain active. MEMA Local Coordinators are making outreach to every city and town in the eastern region to assess needs and deploy available resources. MEMA has received more than 90 requests for assistance, mostly for Massachusetts National Guard support and public works and snow clearing equipment. At the direction of Governor Healey, MEMA has requested out-of-state mutual aid to support snow removal operations. Snow removal crews and equipment from Vermont arrived this morning. 

Governor Healey activated up to 350 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to support storm recovery operations. The Massachusetts National Guard’s initial missions focused on high water rescue and mobility assistance in support to civilian agencies. As conditions improve, service members are transitioning from rescue operations to snow and debris removal and route clearance efforts, with the majority of support provided by Military Police, Engineer, and Transportation units to help restore safe access and normal operations across affected communities. 

As of 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, there are approximately 251,000 customers still without power, down from 290,000 yesterday. The remaining affected areas are the Cape and Southeastern Massachusetts. Crews are working town by town to restore power and must first assess the damages before starting any repairs. 

Department of Transportation

Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) crews responded to this storm with approximately 3,000 pieces of equipment on statewide roadways. Equipment was redeployed Monday afternoon and evening to the South Coast to assist municipalities responding to extraordinary levels of snowfall.  

Statewide storm cleanup will continue this week, as crews complete snow removal on interstate highways and secondary and local roads. Motorists should expect to encounter snow removal equipment on the roads and are advised to allow for extra travel time. Motorists are encouraged to use caution, particularly at intersections, ramps, and shoulders.  

RMV customer service centers are open today, however, due to the storm’s impacts, all road tests are postponed. Individuals who had prescheduled appointments for transactions have been contacted by the RMV regarding the status of their visits. Customers should visit mass.gov/RMV for updates or follow the RMV on X, (formerly Twitter) @MassRMV.   

For more information on traffic conditions, travelers are encouraged to:    

• Download the Mass511 mobile app or visit www.mass511.com to view live cameras, travel times, real-time traffic conditions, and project information before setting out on the road. Users can subscribe to receive text and email alerts for traffic conditions.         
• Dial 511 and select a route to hear real-time conditions.    
• Follow @MassDOT on X, (formerly known as Twitter), to receive regular updates on road and traffic conditions.  
• Check local guidance. Many municipalities, including Boston, have issued parking bans. 

MBTA

MBTA subway trains and buses continue at reduced levels (similar to Sunday schedules). Riders should use the MBTA Go App to check for the latest arrival times to minimize wait times. Please see T-Alerts for updated information. Mattapan Line service continues to be suspended and replaced with shuttle buses. All Commuter Rail lines are operating on their reduced Storm Schedules. PDF Storm Schedules can be found on each individual Commuter Rail line webpage. Charlestown Ferry service and Hingham/Hull Ferry service resumed on Tuesday, February 24, with a modified schedule. Regular RIDE paratransit service will resume tomorrow and trips may be booked as usual today. 

Clean-up and recovery efforts will continue around the clock, but service impacts could continue throughout the week. MBTA riders are encouraged to subscribe to T-Alerts ,download the MBTA Go app, and follow the MBTA on X @MBTA, @MBTA_CR, and @MBTA_CR_Alerts for up-to-date service information. Check the MBTA’s Winter Weather Guide at www.MBTA.com/Winter for tips on how to stay connected and what to expect on the T during extreme winter weather. Riders may also find helpful: how to report bus stops in need of snow removal. The MBTA Customer Experience Call Center is open Monday thru Friday: 6:30 AM – 8 PM. The main line is: 617-222-3200 (711 for TTY callers; VRS for ASL callers). 

Massport

As flights resume at Boston Logan and Worcester Regional airports today, passengers are reminded that there will be delays due to airfield clean up and airlines repositioning crews with aircraft.  We encourage passengers to check with their airline for flight status before coming to the airport, and give themself extra time to get to and from the airport safely.   

Department of Public Utilities 

The DPU continues to remain in close communication with the Electric Distribution Companies (EDCs) while their line crews work on restoring power to those affected by the storm. As of 11:15 am today, there are around 251,000 customers still without power, down from 290,000 yesterday. The remaining affected areas are the Cape and Southeastern Massachusetts. The state will continue to urge the EDCs to provide an estimated time of restoration of power for all customers.  

The crews are working town by town to restore power and must first assess the damages before starting any repairs. The biggest challenge is clearing the snow so that repairs can be made safely, and trees and streets must be cleared to repair the power lines. The number of impacted customers can still fluctuate if the EDCs need to deenergize the power lines to repair them. This is a three-pronged process: emergency and safety are first while the crews assess the damages and look at access to restore power where they can. Line crews and workers have been shifted to help deal with the more affected areas to restore power as soon as they possibly can. 

Department of Conservation and Recreation 

Staff from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) are working to clear and remove snow and ice from assets across the state park system. DCR prioritizes plowing on primary roadways and parkways, as well as designated sidewalks, pathways and crosswalks that provide safe passage in the immediate proximity to schools while school is in-session. The agency is continuing to operate its statewide storm center throughout Tuesday and is closely working with all state and local partners as cleanup efforts continue.  

Additionally, DCR operations and forestry crews are monitoring tree damage at sites across the state. DCR Fire Control staff are working with teams at the Barnstable County Multiagency Coordination Center to provide emergency response assistance on Cape Cod.  

DCR has implemented parking bans for agency-managed roadways and designated MassDOT managed roadways in accordance with the municipalities where the affected roadways are located. Many of these bans remain in place and will end in line with the municipality’s end time. Please refer to local parking ban announcements for current restrictions. All parking bans on DCR roadways apply to both sides of the road. Vehicles parked in these areas during an active snow emergency will be ticketed and towed. If there is a parking ban in place in your municipality, please avoid parking on public streets to allow municipal and state plows to safely clear the roads.   

To protect safety and accommodate safe snow removal efforts, DCR agency-managed recreation facilities including all visitor centers statewide, the Melnea A. Cass Recreation Center and agency-operated skating rinks in Boston will remain closed through Tuesday, February 24. All programs at parks across the state are cancelled for Tuesday. 

For the most up-to-date information on DCR closures please visit the DCR Park Alerts page. 

Department of Environmental Protection 

To address the handling of excessive snowfall amounts, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) provides Snow Disposal Guidance to local governments and businesses. The online guidance assists with snow disposal site selection, site preparation and maintenance, and emergency snow disposal options that are protective of wetlands, drinking water, and waterbodies. MassDEP also has an online mapping tool to help communities identify possible snow disposal options locally. If a community or business demonstrates that there is no remaining capacity at upland snow disposal locations, local conservation commissions are authorized to issue Emergency Certifications under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act for snow disposal in certain wetland resource areas.