Mass. Wrong-Way Detectors Flag 215 Drivers; 300 Planned by 2027

Massachusetts has installed 86 wrong-way driving detection systems on its roads since June, and the technology has flagged more than 215 wrong-way incidents, with about 140 drivers turning around, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said in an Oct. 26, 2026 progress report on its $75 million wrong-way driving prevention program. The state wants 300 systems running by the end of 2027.

What the wrong-way detection systems do

According to the MassDOT announcement, the systems detect a vehicle moving the wrong way and send real-time alerts to transportation officials and police. They also light up warning signs with flashing lights aimed at the driver. Many of the 86 installations retrofit equipment the state already had, such as signalized intersections and highway camera systems.

Beyond the fixed detectors, MassDOT has deployed 12 portable detection and warning trailers. It has also put up larger WRONG WAY and DO NOT ENTER signs and repainted pavement markings at 85% of highway ramps statewide, and added directional arrows and better lighting at some ramps. The program covers more than 800 high-risk locations the state has identified, and MassDOT says it is piloting new detection tools at sites with no existing equipment.

By the numbers: early results

MassDOT’s figures give a first look at how often the systems are triggered. More than 215 wrong-way movements were detected from June to late October. Roughly 140 of those drivers corrected course, which works out to about 65% of detected incidents, a Boston Report calculation from MassDOT’s rounded figures. The state did not say what happened in the remaining cases, how many involved police stops, or whether any led to crashes.

The numbers in the release are not fully consistent. The headline and body say approximately 140 drivers corrected course, while a quote from Interim Transportation Secretary Phillip Eng refers to “over 130 wrong-way drivers” redirected in the past three months. Both are MassDOT’s own figures and are presented as approximate.

The rollout still has a long way to go. MassDOT expects about 40 more systems online by the end of 2026, which would bring the total to roughly 126, by Boston Report math. Reaching the 300-system goal by the end of 2027 would mean adding about 174 more systems in 2027, more than double the number installed so far.

How this compares with the earlier pilot

Massachusetts had a much smaller network before this year. Neil Boudreau, assistant administrator for traffic and safety at MassDOT’s Highway Division, told GBH News that from November 2022 to September 2025, 16 detection systems identified 325 vehicles traveling the wrong way. Nearly 190 of those drivers corrected themselves, while 136 kept going the wrong way. That is a self-correction rate of roughly 58%, a Boston Report calculation, compared with about 65% in the new figures. The two periods use different numbers of sites and different time spans, so the rates are not directly comparable.

Boudreau also told GBH that from Jan. 1 through Sept. 22, 2026, 54 wrong-way incidents were detected, with 36 drivers correcting course and 18 continuing. GBH did not explain how that count relates to MassDOT’s larger figure of more than 215 incidents since June. MassDOT could not immediately provide crash totals tied to wrong-way driving, GBH reported. Boudreau said the state is using existing traffic signals and camera systems for many of the detectors, and that other states have asked about the approach.

Recent crashes show the stakes. GBH reported that a high school student driving the wrong way on Route 1 in Revere was killed in a head-on crash on Oct. 25, according to State Police.

Why the state is spending $75 million

Gov. Maura Healey’s administration and the Legislature funded the program, which launched in June. In the announcement, Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble cited the death of Trooper Kevin Trainor in a wrong-way crash this year, saying it “underscored the urgency of this work.” Healey said in the release that the state is “seeing encouraging results.”

MassDOT named the firms working on the program: consultant VHB and vendors Applied Information, TAPCO, NETS and FLIR. The state says it will use data collected by the detectors to find more places where road design confuses drivers.

What drivers should know

The new systems include illuminated signs with flashing lights meant to warn a driver who has entered a ramp or road in the wrong direction. More details are on MassDOT’s wrong-way driving program page.

For daily road and transit conditions around the city, see our Boston traffic today page. Planned T disruptions are listed on our MBTA closures page.

Sources

• Mass.gov / MassDOT: Governor Healey announces progress of wrong-way driving prevention initiative (Oct. 26, 2026)
• MassDOT: Wrong-way driving program
• GBH News: Mass. has installed nearly 90 wrong-way detection cameras, with hundreds more coming

Additional sources

• The Boston Globe: Mass. has installed nearly 90 wrong-way detection cameras
• Boston.com: State announces progress on wrong-way detection systems