Massachusetts snow winds down, road crews turn attention to icing concerns
BOSTON – Massachusetts road crews are still hard at work cleaning up after snow fell Sunday night into Monday morning. The next concern on the roads is the frigid temperatures that are set to follow, leading to possible icing.
As far as winter storms go, this one brought some good news.
Roads were difficult to navigate overnight. But highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver told WBZ-TV that while snow fell throughout Massachusetts, the timing of the storm was helpful.
Part of the reason is that Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday that means many people in Massachusetts have the day off from work, and schools are closed.
"As far as timing goes, you can't really get any better than this," Gulliver said. "It's a holiday weekend, traffic is light to begin with, and then it's overnight. This kind of snow and consistency is the kind we really like to deal with. There's more snow than ice, which means it's a little easier to clear and a little more manageable. All in all, for a first real significant snowstorm we've had in some time, couldn't really ask for anything better than this."
Snow impacts Massachusetts roads
Gulliver said about two-thirds of the state's snow fleet are on the roads throughout Massachusetts during the storm, more than 2,000 pieces of equipment. They continue clearing snow on Monday morning.
"We still have quite a bit of cleanup to do that's going to last through the morning and really into the afternoon," Gulliver told WBZ-TV on Monday.
On Saturday, crews spent the evening doing pre-treatment. The mixture of brine and salt sprayed onto roads in advance of storms helps prevent icing once the storm arrives. The work had to be delayed be several hours on Saturday due to rain.
Gulliver warned that ice could still be an issue in the coming days.
Temperatures are expected to plummet in the coming days. As a result, any snow that melts will likely re-freeze, causing icing concerns.
"The freezing temperatures are definitely our biggest concern right now," Gulliver said.
Snow treacherous in Worcester
On Worcester's Belmont Hill, where roads were icy and winter travel is historically difficult, drivers were taking it easy.
"You just gotta be careful, I mean, the roads are pretty slick," said driver Steve Scavone. "I'm just trying to get off the road ASAP and keep it clear so the people in charge can make it safe for everybody else."
Elsewhere in Worcester, people were out running last minute errands before they headed back inside until the storm passed through Monday morning.
"I don't even like stopping to get gas when it's raining or snowing because I don't like the cold," said one man filling up his tank at a gas station.
