HOV lane will be open for evening commute on Southeast Expressway
(George Rizer/Globe Staff)
By John R. Ellement and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff, and Kate Augusto, Globe Correspondent
All lanes and the HOV lane will be operating on the Southeast Expressway southbound this afternoon, just hours after a tractor trailer hauling clay slurry crashed, forcing the closure of the main artery for about three hours, state officials said.
 (George Rizer/Globe Staff) |
"The HOV lane is going to be open for the afternoon commute,'' said Adam Hurtubise, spokesman for the state Executive Office of Transportation.
Police have accused a Boston man of cutting off a tractor trailer this morning on the Southeast Expressway in Dorchester, triggering a five-vehicle crash that caused the truck to dump tons of the slurry on the road.
The highway was shut down from 7:30 a.m. until shortly after 11 a.m., when crews cleaned the mess. Traffic backed up for miles and some motorists were stuck in the same spot for hours.
Four drivers suffered minor injuries, including two who were taken by ambulance to Caritas Carney Hospital, said Lieutenant Eric Anderson, a State Police spokesman.
The driver accused of causing the crash, 41-year-old David E. Baxter of Boston, will be cited for making an unsafe lane change and failure to use care in stopping, Anderson said.
State Police said Baxter had abruptly switched lanes in his black Jeep sport utility vehicle, cutting in front of the tractor trailer in the middle lane of the southbound highway near Neponset Circle. The truck driver swerved and the tractor trailer flipped, spilling its payload as it slid into the concrete barriers of the northbound HOV lane. The sliding truck did not hit any traffic heading in the opposite direction, but it pinched the northbound HOV lane closed.
The trucker, John Michael, 54, of Brockton, was driving for Beaver Trucking. He suffered minor injuries and was seen after the crash in a neck brace.
At first glance, the truck driver did a good job, said Anderson. I dont think there are any issues with the truck. He just tried to avoid a crash The Jeep, in order to avoid the slowing traffic, cut in front of the tractor trailer and unfortunately caused the crash.
Hundreds of motorists were stuck on the expressway for almost two hours, parked between the wreck and Columbia Road. Drivers got out of their vehicles and watched emergency crews work. At 9:25 a.m. a black BMW station wagon was the last vehicle to leave the roadway, its driver waving happily as he passed.
We are very fortunate, Anderson said.
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