What could possibly go wrong when a film crew sets up shop at the Weston toll plaza during morning rush hour - especially when turnpike crews are already there doing some lane reconfiguring? Try a westbound traffic jam from Weston to Newton Corner.
Turnpike mouthpiece Mac Daniel at least had the decency to apologize for this, ah, clustertruck:
Channel 4 reports on the accident northbound near Rte. 2A around 6 a.m.:
State Police say two vehicles collided and one of them rolled over several times before landing in the grass near the breakdown lane. That driver was ejected and died. The other driver was not seriously hurt.
Gas tanker rolled over and exploded on Rte. 128 south near Highland Avenue around 5:30 a.m.; road shut, driver slightly injured, smoke visible from across the region.
Miss Von Schtoop was up early, went out for a drive, took photos along the way of a smoke ring from the accident drifting over Mission Hill, Cambridge, downtown and South Boston, including this montage from Southie:
Impact with an 18-wheeler on I-95 in Foxboro today, that is:
... Since I was only a quarter mile from the accident I was able to get out of the car and like many other drivers, actually walk the pavement of I-95. Sure the tie-up may have been a bit inconvenient, but I was still having a better day than the guy in the F-150. ...
Also today:
Lexington Rollover Hinders Route 128 Traffic. Hinders?
Rollover on Sears Road, Brookline.
Car no match for back end of a parked lumber truck, around 1 p.m. in the high-speed right lane breakdown lane on Rte. 128 south near Rte. 16.
Wade Roush walks around, photographs the ghost cloverleaf of Canton, built for the Highway that Never Was - the Southwest Expressway meant to gouge through Boston and Cambridge (along the route of today's Orange Line, basically).
Three-car rush-hour smashup narrowly averted on Rte. 128 today by two drivers far more alert than the loser who slammed on her brakes in the fast lane while texting.
A tractor trailer, minivan and a passenger car, around 2:30 p.m., nobody hurt.
Last night on the ice on the southbound side in Weston. Nobody hurt. Meanwhile there was a Masshole in an SUV who took off after hitting an ambulance in Dorchester.
Harry knows first-hand why traffic was bollixed up on 128 in Canton this morning: There was this pothole that had been there for a week, but the state didn't do anything about it until it expanded to axle-destroying size last night and MassHighway had to get a state trooper to block a lane to keep people from getting swallowed up by the hole that it hadn't bothered to fix when it was more manageable in size.
Dave Atkins ponders the implications of the giant Westwood Station project (massive housing/office complex next to the 128 train station) on the small town:
... I think the alternative to growth is stagnation, so I am supportive of the project. I do wish there was more discussion of the vision behind it and some way in the community to think about this as more than just a tax revenue source or traffic magnet. Time will tell the fate of our growth.
Kirk Williamson's video, above, shows his commute this morning from Cape Ann to Beverly. Not the most exciting thing in the world once you realize he's figured out how to drive down 128 in the snow while holding a camera and so won't be sliding off the road - until the last 15 seconds or so, when you will see something that will make you burst out laughing because it is just so ludicrously absurd.
With little else to do during a monumental turnpike backup last week, Liz composed a prayer that begins:
Oh merciful heavens, hear my cry! Your child mourns in the dark valley of the Turnpike, and wails upon the stones of 128, and gnashes her teeth and heaps ashes upon her head when she hath the folly to attempt Route 9 as an alternate route. Oh, maketh my lane to clear, oh Lord! ...
Casey Ross has the details on proposals to raise $20 billion over the next 20 years just to keep our existing roads, bridges, tunnels and public transit systems from falling apart even more. How about 5-cent/mile tolls on I-93, I-95, I-495, to start?
So I'm not surprised that the Brazil vs Mexico soccer game was a big draw. (67,584 people, it says here.)
Angela's day does not get off to a good start when 128 traffic gets tied up for miles because people are slowing down to look at the new LED sign the state's put up:
... The sign rotated through messages like, "Drive Safely," and "Buckle Up." Nonetheless, everyone seemed to be mystified by the sign as if it contained detailed instructions on how to win the lottery or something. ...
Worried about ceiling tiles? Better add Rte. 128 catchbasin grates to your list.
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