State officials say roads and transit largely restored after heavy snow

Governor convened a briefing to update the public on a major winter storm that delivered about 1 to 2 feet of snow across the state and warned of 1 to 5 additional inches during the day. He urged residents to stay off roads when possible, check on elderly neighbors, and take care while shoveling.

Phil Lane, secretary of transportation, credited advance planning by MassDOT and MBTA for limiting disruption and asked travelers to verify airline status because of cancellations. Jonathan Gulliver of MassDOT said crews deployed about 3,000 pieces of equipment at the storm’s peak and remain active to push back snowbanks, clear intersections and keep major roads down to bare pavement. He warned drivers to expect narrow lanes from piled snow and pockets of black ice in the coming days and said crews will perform overnight treatments to reduce ice hazards.

Ryan Collin, chief operating officer of the MBTA, said most MBTA services were resuming close to normal and that subway, bus, commuter rail and paratransit services were expected to run normally the following day. The MBTA suspended ferry service to and from Hingham because slush and ice had entered Hingham Harbor; Collin asked passengers to check mbta.com or the MBTA app for updates.

The governor said the storm produced relatively few power outages—about 300 homes—and described the grid as holding up well. Officials reiterated routine safety measures: clear vehicles of snow before driving, clear hydrants, dress for wind chill, and allow work crews space to operate. The briefing concluded with officials thanking state and local crews, MEMA, DCR, state police and DPW staff for storm response.

Officials said no new scheduling delays tied to the storm were expected to affect future MBTA projects after lane-closure and maintenance work was either accelerated or postponed as needed; however, commuters should allow extra travel time while cleanup continues.