Icy roads and freezing rain wreaked havoc on the morning commute in the Greater Boston area and across New England on Wednesday.
In New Hampshire, the icy conditions brought travel to a standstill on interstate highways, while in Connecticut, officials asked people not to drive at all.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
In East Boston, a three-car crash occurred on McClellan Highway heading into the city shortly after 6 a.m.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
Multiple accidents occurred in Beverly, Massachusetts, early Wednesday due to icy conditions on roads and bridges in town, according to the local police department.
All accidents in Beverly were fairly minor, police said, with no known injuries to report.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced two more crashes later in the morning, one on Interstate 95 in Peabody at the 64-mile mark which had closed three lanes northbound and one lane southbound, as well as a crash in Newton which had closed one lane of traffic on Route 9 eastbound at Dudley Street.
Multiple crashes were reported in Spencer, including a fire truck that slid off the road while returning from a fire in Charlton.
Numerous crashes were also reported across New Hampshire on Wednesday morning. But despite wild images posted to social media, New Hampshire State Police say there were no fatalities on the frozen roads Wednesday morning.
Traffic was at a standstill on Interstate 93 north around 9:30 a.m. People were seen getting out of their cars on the highway and sliding around while trying to walk.
State police said that, around 9 a.m., the roads became impassable and nothing short of treacherous.
"Even heavy trucks were having difficulty, and that includes DOT trucks," said Eileen Meaney, the chief communications officer at the NH Department of Transportation.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
Crews were prepared and did everything they could, but it was a tricky weather event, with warm air temperatures, a misting rain and freezing roads, Meaney said.
"When most people left their house, feeling the temperature outside and looking at the roadway, they were not seeing what they would traditionally be looking for in terms of what black ice looks like, but it quickly became a black ice situation," she explained.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
Police responded to more than 80 calls for crashes and spin-outs.
Authorities were forced to shut down parts of I-93 and Route 101 to allow DOT crews to treat the roads and get people moving again.
Route 4 in Chichester was also completely shut down due to icy road conditions.
Numerous crashes were also reported on Route 101 in New Hampshire.
In Connecticut, the road conditions were so treacherous that the state Department of Transportation asked drivers to stay off the roads altogether.
