Brockton fire chief urges drivers to stay off roads as city works to clear snow after blizzard
Cities and towns south of Boston bore the brunt of the Blizzard of 2026, with places like Brockton getting 31" of snow on Monday.
But clearing the roads has proven to be a challenge with drivers and pedestrians pleading with the city for better conditions, while Brockton officials say increased unnecessary travel has made it difficult for plows to do their job.
Snow-covered roads in Brockton
Traffic was near gridlock in parts of Brockton on Tuesday. Sidewalks were virtually nonexistent as pedestrians were forced to walk in the snow-covered roads. Police officers worked to shovel out cars that were stuck in the middle of the street and in some cases, they pushed vehicles out of intersections.
Some drivers said they were surprised by how hard it was to get around. "They are bad. They are just starting to clear up now, but they have been bad all day," said Dan Bettencourt. "Seems like all the little cars, the Hondas and Corollas, are getting stuck and the big trucks can't get through."
Shane Owens owns a barbershop on Main Street and was shoveling out some of the city parking spaces to make room for customers. He hoped to reopen soon. "I am 44 years old, and I have never seen this before in my life," said Owens. "They canceled school three days straight. We might have gotten one day when I was a kid. This is just absurd. I saw one plow on my way here."
Why snow removal is difficult
The fire chief said public works crews had been working around the clock to clear roads, but they have run into one major problem in their efforts to get down to pavement.
"One of our biggest issues right now is there are vehicles on the road that don't need to be on the road," said Chief Brian Nardelli of the Brockton Fire Department. "They can't do their work when all these cars are in their way and getting stuck. They have to reroute and now they have piles of snow in the roads. They are doing what they can but it's difficult with all the cars."
Brockton Public Schools are closed on Wednesday.