City and state leaders are preparing for their second rush-hour snow storm of the season – expected to make this morning’s commute a challenge with up to a foot of snow.
Boston public school officials decided tonight to cancel classes for tomorrow based on the prediction that the snow would fall quickly during the early commute, according to spokesman Jonathan Palumbo. "We wanted to make the decision tonight so families would have the ability to make alternate plans for tomorrow morning," he said.
The Boston Centers for Youth and Families is working with the school system so that 16 of its centers will be open starting at 7:30 a.m. to help families struggling to make alternative plans, Palumbo said.
After-school activities, evening events, and athletics are also cancelled, he said.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino declared a state of emergency, beginning at midnight.
Menino said the storm is similar to one a month ago that left afternoon commuters stuck in traffic for hours and snowplows unable to penetrate busy streets.
“That’s the worst time, during rush hour, to have snow come in,” Menino said.
Menino urged workers to take public transportation, or work from home if possible. The Massachusetts Turnpike was using its digital message boards to urge workers to take public transportation or leave early so traffic would be staggered.
Travelers in and out of Logan International Airport are being asked to check on their flights as some have already been cancelled tonight.
State and city roadway crews are planning to spend much of the night on the road -- treating streets with liquid calcium chloride so the snow will not stick, and plowing as the first flakes came down. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is scheduled to open its operations center in Framingham at midnight.
Boston's local state of emergency means city residents are prohibited
from parking on major arterial roads, where snow emergency signs are
posted, or within 20 feet of an intersection. On secondary streets, parking
is allowed only on the odd side. The city has agreements with local garages
to provide discounted parking for residents during the storm.
