BOSTON — State officials on Monday outlined progress on a $75 million initiative to reduce wrong-way driving crashes, as a North Shore community mourns the death of a 17-year-old high school senior killed early Sunday in a fiery head-on collision on Route 1 in Revere.
Massachusetts State Police said the driver, a senior at Triton Regional High School in Byfield, was traveling south in the northbound lanes of Route 1 near Sargent Street around 3 a.m. when he struck another vehicle head-on. His car became fully engulfed in flames, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to a Boston hospital. All lanes of Route 1 were closed until about 8:15 a.m. The crash remains under investigation by the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office. The student’s name has not been released.
Triton Regional School District Superintendent Brian Forget said the student “was highly involved and connected to many within the Triton community” and that “those who knew him saw daily how kind and caring he was.” The district described itself as heartbroken and said counselors would be available to students.
The announcement of the state’s safety efforts came the day after the crash. Since the initiative launched in June, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has installed 86 wrong-way detection systems, deployed 12 portable detection and warning trailers, and upgraded signage and pavement markings at 85 percent of highway ramps statewide. Officials said the systems have detected more than 215 wrong-way incidents, with roughly 140 drivers correcting course.
The technology, installed at more than 800 high-risk locations identified statewide, detects wrong-way movements, alerts transportation officials and law enforcement in real time, and activates illuminated warning signs with flashing lights. MassDOT expects to bring about 40 more systems online by the end of 2026, with a goal of 300 operational by the end of 2027. The agency is also piloting systems at sites without existing infrastructure.
Governor Maura Healey said wrong-way crashes “can have devastating consequences for families” and that the investment is aimed at warning drivers and helping law enforcement respond more quickly. Interim Transportation Secretary Phillip Eng and State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver noted the systems have redirected more than 130 drivers in recent months. Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble referenced the earlier death of Trooper Kevin Trainor in a wrong-way crash this year as underscoring the need for continued collaboration.
The Revere crash is the latest in a series of wrong-way incidents on Massachusetts highways this year. Officials said the detection systems have so far led a majority of detected wrong-way drivers to turn around, though it was not immediately clear whether any of the new equipment was active at the location of Sunday’s crash.
