Christmas 2015 Holiday Travel: What You Need to Know Now

By LINDA BOCK (Patch Staff)

Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials are advising residents and visitors to travel safely during the upcoming holiday season, check their online resources, and use public transportation if possible.

And don’t text and drive!

Plan Your Travel

Interstate-90, Exit 9, connecting I-84 to Connecticut and New York, experiences heavy traffic on peak holiday travel days. Drivers are encouraged to consider travel during the early morning or after 8 p.m. Traffic congestion is also typical at the I-95 and I-495 Turnpike interchanges along with I-495 and I-93 northbound leading into New Hampshire.

Resources for Travelers

MassDOT’s Traffic and Travel Resources page includes links to all MassDOT travel resources. And now is the time to sign up for EZPass and avoid cash tolls, according to state highway officials.

State officials also advise that motorists visit MassDOT’s online traffic camera webpage to check live traffic cameras across the Commonwealth. The 511 traffic alert system alerts customers to traffic conditions throughout the holiday weekend.

Free Coffee

Free coffee will be served at all MassDOT service plazas between 10 p.m. on Christmas night, Friday, Dec. 25, until 5 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 26, and between 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31, until 5 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016.

Zipper Lane Won’t Be Open

Because of an expected reduction in traffic volumes during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the I-93 HOV Zipper Lane will NOT be deployed on the Thursday and Friday of those two weeks.

MBTA Schedules

The MBTA Christmas Day through New Year’s Day holiday service schedule includes a Sunday service schedule for Friday, Dec. 25 and Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. The T will provide rush hour level service from 3 p.m. through 2 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, December 31. The MBTA will not collect fares after 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Check out the full T schedule at www.mbta.com.

RMV Holiday Closings

All Registry of Motor Vehicles offices will be closed on Friday, December 25 and Friday, January 1, 2016. “Skip the Line” and visit the RMV online.

Information provided by MassDOT.