Mass.Gov logo  * Governor
Deval L. Patrick
 * Lt. Governor
Timothy P. Murray
 * EOEA Secretary
Ian A. Bowles

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DCR Winter Storm Plan and Priority Map

Overview of DCR Winter Storm Management Plan

DCR follows a comprehensive Storm Management Plan for the snow and ice season that: 

  • clarifies locations for which DCR has snow removal responsibility
  • identifies available snow removal resources
  • affirms the chain of responsibility and procedures for inter- and intra-agency communications
  • establishes operating procedures and policies.

DCR’s Winter Storm Plan On-Line

To visit the Winter Storm Priority Map, please click the link below:
http://maps.massgis.state.ma.us/DCR_Snow_Priority/viewer.htm

This interactive map displays parkways, sidewalks and crosswalks symbolized by their plowing priority.  Also depicted are fire hydrants, hospitals, police stations, fire stations, schools, bus stops and other features relevant to snow removal planning.

Instructions for Using the GIS Snow Removal Priority Viewer

 

DCR-Mass Highway Partnership

For 2007 fiscal year, DCR amended the MOU with the Mass Highway Department regarding the snow and ice removal partnership. Effective November 1, 2006, Mass Highway Department has expanded its responsibility for providing curb-to-curb snow removal for DCR Parkways in Greater Boston Area from 40% to 63% of the 524 total miles of parkways, representing a 23% increase from the 2006 fiscal year.  A complete list of DCR parkway snow removal areas is below. DCR remains responsible for clearing sidewalks related to these parkways.

DCR Parkways to be cleared by Mass Highway Department

Roadway Name and Description

Agassiz Road, Fenway

Alewife Brook Parkway from Route 2 to Concord Avenue

Arsenal Street

Birmingham Parkway, Watertown

Blue Hill River Road, Milton

Blue Hills Parkway, Milton

Boundary Road, Milton

Boylston Street, Fenway – From Park Drive intersection to

Brookline Avenue, Fenway

Brooks Street, Brighton

Centre Street, Jamaica Plain

Charles River Dam Road

Charles River Road, Watertown

Charles Street (portion)

Charlesbank Road, Newton

Charlesgate Overpass

Charlesgate Overpass, Boston (see map detail)

Charlesgate Road (East & West)

Chestnut Street, Boston

Chickatawbut Road, Braintree, Milton and Quincy

Concord Avenue

East Border Road, Malden

Eastern Avenue, Lynn

Embankment Road, including Mugar Way

Fellsway East, Malden

Forest Grove Road and Woerd Avenue , Waltham

Forsyth Way, Fenway, Boston

Fresh Pond Parkway from Concord Avenue to Fresh Pond

Furnace Brook Parkway and rotary, Quincy

Green Street, Canton

Greenough Blvd., Cambridge and Watertown

Grove Street, Watertown – From Coolidge Ave. to Greenough Blvd.

Harvard Avenue, Arlington and Medford – From Mystic River Road to Mystic Valley Parkway

Hayden Street, Quincy – Spur From Furnace Brook Parkway to Willard Street

High Street, Medford and Medford Street, Arlington (these are the roadways between
Mystic Valley Parkway in Medford to parkway of same name in Arlington)

Highland Avenue, Malden and Medford.

Hillside Street,  Blue Hills Reservation, Canton and Milton

Hull Shore Drive

Humphrey Street, Swampscott- Lynn Shore Drive Turn Around

Jamaicaway

Lynn Shore Drive, Lynn, Nahant and Swampscott

Lynnway/ Carroll Parkway)

McGrath Highway

Mystic River Road and Jerome Street, Medford

Mystic Valley Parkway from Route 16 to Wellington Circle

Mystic Valley Parkway, Arlington, Medford, Somerville and Winchester

Nantasket Avenue (Hull)

Neponset Valley Parkway, Hyde Park and Milton

New South Street, Stoneham

Nonantum Road, Brighton, Newton and Watertown

North Beacon Street, Brighton and Watertown

North Border Road, Stoneham

O'Brien Highway

Park Drive, Boston – Main road only

Park Street, Stoneham

Parkman Drive, Boston

Perkins Street, Boston

Pond Street, Stoneham

Ravine Road, Stoneham

Revere Beach Parkway - From Interstate 93 to Route 107

Soldiers Field Road

South Border Road, Medford and Winchester

South Street, Winchester

Storrow Drive

The Fenway and Fenway Connector to Park Drive, Boston

The Riverway, Boston

Truman Parkway (a/k/a Truman Highway), Boston and Milton

Unquity Road, Milton

VFW Parkway

Wampatuck Road, Quincy

West Border Road, Malden

Wharf Avenue (Hull)

Woodland Road, Medford and Stoneham

Wyoming Avenue, Stoneham

 

DCR Parkways to be cleared by DCR

Roadway Name

ARBORWAY

AUSTIN STREET

BABE RUTH PARK DRIVE

BELLEVUE HILL ROAD

BOSTON UNIVERSITY BRIDGE

BOYLSTON STREET

BOYLSTON STREET SERVICE ROAD

BROAD SOUND AVENUE

BROADWAY

BROOKLINE STREET

CAMBRIDGE PARKWAY

CAMBRIDGE PARKWAY CONNECTOR

CAMBRIDGE STREET

CASASSA OVERPASS

CHARLES STREET CIRCLE

CHARLESGATE EAST

CHARLESGATE WEST

CHARLESTOWN AVENUE

CHESTNUT HILL DRIVEWAY

COLUMBIA ROAD

COMMANDANT'S WAY

CONNECTOR TO ELIOT BRIDGE

CONSTITUTION BEACH ROAD

DEDHAM BOULEVARD

DEDHAM PARKWAY

EARHART DAM ROAD

EAST BROADWAY

ELIOT CIRCLE

ELM STREET

ENNEKING PARKWAY

ENNEKING PARKWAY BRANCH

FELLSWAY WEST

FENWAY SERVICE ROAD

FIRST STREET

FOREST STREET

FRANKLIN PARK CIRCLE

FRESH POND PARKWAY

GALLIVAN BOULEVARD

GERRYS LANDING ROAD

HAMMOND POND PARKWAY

HEMLOCK ROAD

HILLCREST PARKWAY

HORACE JAMES CIRCLE

HYDE PARK AVENUE

JAMES SHEA CIRCLE

JFK-UMASS STATION ROAD

JOHN F KENNEDY STREET

KOSCIUSZKO CIRCLE

LAND BOULEVARD

LONGFELLOW BRIDGE

LYNNWAY

LYNNWAY UNDERPASS - RT 1A SB TO LYNNWAY

MAIN STREET

MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE

MEMORIAL DRIVE

MEMORIAL DRIVE UNDERPASS

METROPOLITAN ROAD NORTH

METROPOLITAN ROAD SOUTH

MIDDLESEX AVENUE

MILTON STREET

MONSIGNOR CASEY HIGHWAY

MORRISSEY SERVICE ROAD

MORTON STREET

MOUNT VERNON STREET

MYSTIC AVENUE

NAHANT CIRCLE

NAHANT ROAD

NEPONSET AVENUE

NEPONSET VALLEY PARKWAY

NOBLE STREET

NORTH HARVARD STREET

OAK ISLAND STREET

OCEAN AVENUE

OLD COLONY AVENUE

PELTON STREET

QUINCY SHORE DRIVE

 

 

Snow Removal Priorities

All snow removal locations are prioritized according to the following categories:

Level 1 (during storm event):
Primary roadways and parkways*
State Police barracks
Traffic bridges
Potential flood zones
Designated sidewalks, pathways**, and crosswalks which provide safe passage in the immediate proximity to schools while in-session.

Level 2 (dedication of snow removal resources within first 12 hours after storm event):
Secondary roadways and parkways
State House passage and street parking
Sidewalks, pathways** and crosswalks providing safe passages to schools, foot bridges, bus shelters, bus stops, T-stations, including median strips and handicap ramps 

Level 3 (snow removal response may occur beyond first 12 hours after storm event):
DCR-managed ice skating rinks parking lots (12), if open
Interior park roads and tertiary parkways
DCR facilities and building parking lots
Less traveled sidewalks, pathways, crosswalks and multi-use paths**:
 
These less traveled sidewalks, cross walks and multi-use paths may be cleared as specific public safety needs warrant.  As resources allow, DCR will attempt to address Level 3 priorities by focusing on sidewalks without immediate abutters.  DCR anticipates the continued cooperation from abutters in clearing the remainder of Level 3 priority sidewalks consistent with municipal ordinances within the metropolitan Boston area.

** (Note: The  sidewalk category symbol on the DCR online viewer includes sidewalks, pathways and multi-use paths parallel to parkways and the South West Corridor Bike Path and the Charles River Bike Paths.)

Level 4
* All parkways under Mass Highway responsibility are considered priority level 1 parkways, but are coded in the GIS system as “4” for technical purposes.

Level 5
Many sidewalks and multi-use paths are not cleared by DCR in order to provide alternative winter recreational resources, such as, skiing and snowshoeing.   

DCR Storm Center

The Storm Center, housed by the Division of Urban Parks and Recreation, is an internal operations center that has been established to facilitate effective internal communications and ensure smooth operations.  The Storm Center is responsible for developing a storm plan for each individual storm event and collecting updated reports from each of the Division’s three regions and Division of State Parks and Recreation.  Regional staff will call in status reports by parkway routes and sidewalk reporting units to the Storm Center periodically. 

Snow Emergencies

Upon establishing a Snow Emergency, DCR will notify the public via television and radio and establish a parking ban as early as possible.  SmartRoutes, State Police Troop H in South Boston and Troop A in Danvers are notified as well.  View the DCR Parkways that are designated as snow emergency routes.

Fielding Constituent Feedback

Feedback for all areas cleared by DCR and Mass Highway should be routed as follows:


Emergencies

 

During business hours:

Community Relations Group line 617-626-4973

          After business hours:

State House Base 617-722-1188 (staffed 24 hour service, 7 days a week)

All Non-Emergencies

Community Relations Group line 617-626-4973

 

 

 
     
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DCR Parkways Designated as
Snow Emergency Routes

List of All DCR Parkways and

Roadways in the Metro Boston Area