MassDOT’s $75M Highway Upgrade Is Already Stopping Wrong-Way Drivers

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said it has "installed 86 wrong-way detection systems, deployed 12 portable detection and warning trailers, and upgraded signage and pavement markings at 85 percent of highway ramps statewide" since launching a $75 million initiative in June to "prevent wrong-way driving crashes and improve highway safety across Massachusetts."

How MassDOT’s New Detection Technology Works

In a statement, MassDOT said the new technology has "detected more than 215 wrong-way driving incidents, with approximately 140 drivers correcting course."

The initiative "includes advanced detection technology, improved roadway signage, and targeted infrastructure upgrades at more than 800 high-risk locations identified statewide."

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"MassDOT has advanced critical investments in wrong-way driving detection and prevention systems that can stop these tragedies before they happen," Interim Secretary of Transportation and MBTA general manager Phillip Eng said. "In the past three months alone, this technology has made a difference by alerting law enforcement to incidents and redirecting over 130 wrong-way drivers before crashes could occur."

MassDOT hopes to bring approximately 40 additional detection systems online by the end of 2026, and expects to have 300 systems operational by the end of 2027.

Courtesy Mass.gov

Honors Tragic Loss of Massachusetts State Trooper

"The tragic loss of Trooper Kevin Trainor in a wrong-way driving crash earlier this year underscores the urgency of this work and the continued collaboration among public safety and transportation officials to do what we can to prevent these incidents and save lives," Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said.

According to legal and traffic safety analysts at Pappas Law, most wrong-way crashes occur at night and "many involve confused or disoriented older drivers who enter a highway through an exit ramp."

"Impairment from alcohol or drugs is a frequent factor. And in nearly every fatal wrong-way crash, speed is a factor," according to the law firm.