MassDOT issues Travel Advisory ahead of storm

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is advising the public that the National Weather Service is forecasting a mix of heavy snow, freezing rain and strong wind gusts across the state beginning during the afternoon hours on Sunday, December 1. The storm is developing from west to east and is anticipated to continue throughout the day on Monday, December 2.

“Anyone traveling this weekend is advised to closely monitor the forecast,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “We encourage motorists traveling home from the Thanksgiving holiday to leave early and leave enough time to safely get to their destination.”

At this time, there is no travel ban in Massachusetts for any classification of vehicles, however, all drivers and commercial vehicle company owners should stay up to date on the storm according to MassDOT.

First measurable snow of the season expected to hit area.

MassDOT’s ice and snow operations will be deployed throughout the Commonwealth as conditions necessitate. Highway Districts always conduct preparation activities in advance of new weather systems and are able to pretreat roadways with brine and Magnesium Chloride when necessary. In the most severe storms, MassDOT’s Highway Division is able to utilize up to 700 personnel to perform snow and ice removal operations on more than 15,000 lane miles of roadway throughout the Commonwealth. This winter, MassDOT will have approximately 3,900 pieces of state and vendor equipment available throughout the duration of winter storms using over 150 depots and storage locations. This includes over 1,400 plow and spreader combos, 2,100 plows, and 460 front-end loaders.