An alleged armed suspect wound up stopped in the median of Interstate 495 in Lowell on Tuesday, and the evening commute quickly turned into a parking lot. Massachusetts State Police shut the highway in both directions while troopers and other units converged on the scene, leaving drivers stuck in long backups.
What Happened
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said all lanes were temporarily closed just after 4:30 p.m. and urged drivers to find alternate routes. Northbound traffic was diverted at Route 3, while southbound vehicles were funneled off at Route 38 as troopers worked the incident. State Police also told motorists to steer clear of I-495 in the Lowell area during the response, according to NBC Boston.
I-Team sources told CBS Boston that troopers had stopped a pickup truck believed to be connected to an earlier shooting in Berlin, Mass., and that one person at the scene might be armed. According to CBS, Massachusetts State Police requested a negotiator to respond to the median stop.
Commute Impact and Detours
I-495 traffic was routed off at Exit 89 northbound and Exit 92 southbound, sending a wave of congestion onto local roads and the Lowell Connector, as reported by Boston 25. Officials warned that delays could ripple across the Merrimack Valley throughout the evening rush.
MassDOT urged drivers to check Mass511 or call 511 for live travel conditions and alternate routes, and the agency asked motorists to slow down and use caution near the scene, according to CBS Boston.
I-495 is a major outer loop around Greater Boston that regularly seizes up when lanes are shut for crashes or police activity. Similar incidents have closed long stretches of the highway for hours and forced extensive detours, as previously documented by WCVB, so drivers in the Merrimack Valley are all too familiar with the ripple effects when the interstate grinds to a halt.
The Massachusetts State Police said in a public advisory that motorists should avoid I-495 in Lowell while law enforcement activity continues and that they would update the public as more information becomes available, per NBC Boston. We will update this post as officials release further details.
