BURLINGTON, MASS. (WHDH) - MassDOT crews will be working along several closed highway ramps and lanes overnight as the state rolls out a new “wrong-way vehicle detection system” to improve driver safety.
According to the department, workers will be installing and testing parts of the system across the state throughout the week of Nov. 14. The $2.6 million pilot program involves crews installing systems at 16 ramps throughout the Bay State, causing nightly closures from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. through Friday, Nov. 18.
Affected towns and roadways include:
- Bernardston: I-91 NB & SB, exit 50 at Route 10
- Burlington: I-95 NB & SB, exit 50B at Middlesex Turnpike
- Danvers: Route 128 NB & SB, exit 43 at Route 62
- Plymouth: Route 3 NB & SB, exit 13 at Long Pond Road
- Webster: I-395 NB & SB, exit 1 at Route 193
Over the last few years, a number of states have installed similar systems to help prevent wrong way crashes, including both Florida and Rhode Island, which use flashing “Wrong Way” signs to guide drivers.
The signs are equipped with radar to detect vehicles traveling in the wrong direction, sending a signal to law enforcement, while also being able to alter electronic message boards on the roads to alert other drivers.
Rhode Island transportation officials have said their system has stopped dozens of wrong way drivers, saving lives. According to the state’s Department of Transportation website, their similarly priced project was modeled after one in San Antonio, Texas, which reportedly resulted in a 30% reduction in wrong-way driving incidents after being set up.
Officials in Massachusetts hope to have the state’s new system in place by spring 2023.
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