MA Holiday Travel Guide: Christmas Traffic Is Awful

The weather across most of the state is a big pile of mush heading into Friday evening. The roads are beginning to ice up, and it'll only get worse throughout the evening, according to forecasters. And whether people are trying to get away for Christmas or do last-second shopping, they are clogging up the roads.

So here's a look at the current traffic on the rush hour commute home before Christmas. To quote Tiny Tim, "God bless us, everyone."

Hitting The Road

Live Traffic Conditions

To view live traffic conditions in each region, click the three dots at the bottom of the map and click the icon with two cars. From there, check the boxes for "traffic slowdowns" and "traffic incidents."

Boston Area

North Shore

Merrimack Valley

South Shore

South Coast

Cape Cod

MetroWest

Central Mass.

"With winter weather expected at times throughout the Christmas holiday period, we advise everyone to check roadway and traffic conditions before traveling," Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said in a statement. "Our snow and ice crews will respond as necessary and travelers should reduce their speed during inclement weather, remember our message, ‘Don’t Crowd the Plow,’ and make smart travel decisions so we all can have a safe and happy holiday."

MassDOT shut down roadway construction at noon on Friday, Dec. 22. Regularly scheduled work will resume at the start of business on Tuesday, Dec. 26.

The High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on I-93 between Boston and Quincy will have normal morning hours this week and will extend its afternoon hours from 1-8 p.m., on Friday, Dec. 22. The HOV lane will be closed on Monday, Dec. 25, and will resume normal operations on Tuesday, Dec. 26.

All travel lanes on the Cape Cod Canal's Sagamore and Bourne bridges will be open through Tuesday, Dec. 26.

Free coffee will be served at the 18 MassDOT service plazas from 10 p.m., Monday, December 25, through 5 a.m., Tuesday, December 26. The plazas serving free coffee include 11 service plazas along I-90 plus plazas along Route 3 in Plymouth, Route 128 in Beverly, Route 128/I-95 in Newton and Lexington, Route 6 in Barnstable, and the Route 24 northbound and southbound plazas.

RMV offices are closed until Tuesday, Dec. 26.

For traffic and road conditions, drivers may use the following options to make decisions:

• Download MassDOT’s GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions before setting out on the road.

• Download Waze, the real-time traffic navigation app that provides motorists with real-time traffic conditions across Massachusetts.
• Visit mass511.com to view travel times, road construction, traffic alerts or crashes along a route. Incidents, road closures, lane closures, real-time live traffic cameras, and weather alerts/forecasts, can all be viewed on the interactive live Traffic Map.
• Dial 511 from a landline or cell phone to hear information on current conditions on major roadways.
• Register for a Mass511 account to create and personalize routes and alerts to be notified of events on those routes ahead of time.
• Check MassDOT Highway Traffic and Travel Resources.
• Follow MassDOT on Twitter @MassDOT as incidents that impact traffic flow are generally mentioned in tweets if they occur on the state’s major highways.

Public Transit

The MBTA has also announced the following schedule information:

· Subway, buses, commuter rail and The RIDE will all provide regular Sunday service on Sunday, December 24, and Monday, December 25.

· On Sunday, December 24, Charlestown ferry service will operate on a weekend schedule, and there will be no Hingham or Hull ferry service.

· On Monday, December 25, there will be no Hingham, Hull, or Charlestown ferry service.

· More information can be found by viewing the full MBTA holiday schedule.

If You're Flying

For anyone traveling by air during the Christmas holiday, you may continue to use any documents you have used recently to board airplanes. Massachusetts residents will not need a REAL ID credential for air travel until October 2020. In addition, Massachusetts residents with a valid U.S. passport or passport card never need a REAL ID. For more information please visit REAL ID online.

At Boston Logan Airport, travelers should monitor www.massport.com for updated airline and airport information and Transportation Security Administration carry-on luggage regulations, The Massport website allows travelers to check flight status, parking conditions and public transportation options from smartphones or tablets. Massport also encourages travelers to check with their airlines before heading to the airport for the most updated flight status and travel information.

For travelers getting to and from Logan Airport using the Logan Express bus service:

· Braintree, Framingham and Woburn Logan Express buses will run on weekday schedules on Saturday, December 23, and Sunday, December 24, and the Peabody service will operate on a normal weekend schedule.

· On Christmas Day, Monday, December 25, the Braintree, Framingham and Woburn Logan Express buses will run a regular weekday schedule until 2:00 p.m.(inbound and outbound). After 2:00 p.m., buses will run every hour on the hour until midnight. The Peabody service will run on a normal weekday schedule.

· Massport advises passengers parking at the Framingham Logan Express location to allow some additional time to accommodate the likelihood that overflow parking will be in effect.

Photo by Tyson Dudley on Unsplash