Baker urges Mass. residents to stay off roads as winter storm develops

Gov. Charlie Baker directed all non-emergency state employees working in Executive Branch agencies to telework, whenever possible, on Friday due to the winter storm.

“Friday’s winter storm is expected to bring heavy snow to most of Massachusetts, with high snowfall rates especially during morning commute,” Baker said during a press conference Thursday evening. “If you don’t have to travel tomorrow, we urge you to consider staying home, and if you do need to travel, please use caution throughout the day.”

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In a statement, the administration urged all residents to stay off roadways, especially during the morning commute, and to use public transportation when possible. Drivers who must travel should expect delays, reduce speed and use caution. Snow began developing during the pre-dawn hours, and was expected to be heavy at times throughout the morning commute before gradually transitioning to a wintry mix in parts of the state.

Recent forecasts predict that parts of Massachusetts could see up to 12 inches, with the highest amounts falling north of the Mass Pike, and a mix of snow, sleet, or rain in south/southeast Massachusetts. The storm is predicted to also bring icy conditions on any untreated surfaces by late Friday night.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said it will have about 3,900 pieces of state and vendor equipment available for snow and ice operations, including more than 1,400 plow and spreader combos, 2,100 plows, and 460 front-end loaders. The speed limit on the Mass Pike has been reduced to 40 mph. All active breakdown lane use on highways will be suspended during the storm.

All subway and commuter rail lines were expected to operate on a regular weekday schedule. Those using the transit system are encouraged to check mbta.com/winter or @mbta on Twitter for service updates.

Baker administration officials said they will remain in close contact with utility companies as they monitor the storm. State officials said utility companies have secured additional crews, have pre-staged crews in areas that are expected to have significant impacts and will respond to outages as they occur.

Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said "scattered" outages are expected.

Residents are advised to visit mass.gov/snow to learn what you should do before, during and after a winter storm.

Material from the State House News Service was used in this report.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: MA Gov. Baker urges residents to stay off roads during snow storm