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Slick roads lead to nightmarish commute and multiple crashes

A tractor-trailer rollover on the Pike and a jackknifed tractor-trailer on I-93 in Andover were just a few incidents among many Thursday morning.

By Ainslie Cromar

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Slick roads snarled morning commutes Thursday, causing multiple crashes, lane closures, and standstills, according to state transportation officials.

A tractor-trailer rollover on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Wilbraham caused a three-mile back up in the westbound lanes, officials said, and left wood debris littering the highway. 

State police said while traffic was being diverted through the breakdown lane on I-90 westbound as of 8 a.m., the congestion from the rollover near Exit 8 means it may be several hours before all lanes are completely opened.

In Andover, a jack-knifed tractor-trailer on I-93 southbound blocked the right lane and caused heavy delays.

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The scene has since been cleared, with all lanes open, but traffic remained jammed all the way back to Exit 1 in New Hampshire throughout the morning commute.

Multiple other spinouts were reported as the morning continued, one North of Boston on 495-South.

And another was reported north of Boston on I-93, near Woburn.

State police said another crash occurred along I-290 westbound in Worcester just before Southbridge Street, causing a right lane closure.

They reported another accident, which resulted in minor injuries, on I-190 northbound in West Boylston that caused a left lane closure, too.

As the nightmare continued, Mystic Valley Parkway between Sagamore and Pine Ridge Road in Medford was closed after a utility pole fell and wires were draped across the roadway. 

As more slowdowns occurred on Route 6 in Bourne because of a serious crash by Edgehill Road, east and westbound traffic also tied up, according to Jacquelyn Goddard, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Goddard tweeted that another rollover crash in Stoughton on Route 24 northbound at Exit 20 left the right lane closed as well.

The department of transportation recommended that folks take it slow as crews treated and cleared state roads for early commutes, and a wintry mix continued to fall throughout the morning. 

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Meanwhile, the National Weather Service asked people to use caution on the roads as many areas north and west of the I-495 corridor remained below freezing.

“A messy mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain will overspread the region late tonight and early Thursday morning,” they wrote the night before. “A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for this wintry mix that will impact the Thursday morning commute.”

Malden police even chimed in for a “traffic tip Thursday,” reminding drivers how to prepare for winter weather. 

How was your commute? Let us know in the comments.

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