Winter Storm Guide
Severe snow storms or winter weather conditions might result in modification and/or a curtailment of transit service.
Snow storms or winter weather conditions have been classified into three categories based on the severity of the storms, the conditions of the roadway system, and the transit service type.
Fixed Route Service
- Severity Level I - The area is experiencing freezing rain or a predicted six (6) inches or less of snow is falling.
- Severity Level II - Some areas are experiencing severe freezing rain/freezing road conditions or a predicted six (6) to twelve (12) inches of snow is falling.
- Severity Level III - All areas are experiencing severe freezing rain/freezing road conditions or twelve (12) or more inches of heavy snow is predicted to hit the area.
Severity Level I
Fixed route operators witnessing or receiving reports of unsafe road conditions are authorized to make temporary modifications to service in order to safeguard transit bus operations.
The following fixed route service detours have been identified as the most likely service curtailment by route during Severity Level I conditions:
34/35 Orchard Hill Snow & Admissions Center Detours.
R41 Mountain d Closed. No service to HCC
R42 No service to Leeds and/or VA Center
R44 Detour for Meadowbrook Apts and/or Florence Heights
Severity Level II
Minor Detours
The following fixed route service detours have been identified as the most likely service curtailment by route during Severity Level II conditions:
G1 Cannon Circle Detour
G2 Cottage St / Dwight Rd / Stop & Shop Detour
G3 Franklin St / King Westford Circle Detour
B4 Clyde/ Sanderson St/ Alden St Detour
G5 Tiffany/ Dwight Rd/ Genesis House Detour
B6 Williams St/ Pasco Rd Detour
B7 Independence House / Big Y Detour
B15 Hillman Street/ Pearl St/ Cambridge St / Oak Grove/ Burr Detour
R10 Western Mass hosp East Mtn Apts/ Noble St Detour
P11 Kids Place/ Dwight/ Harrison Ave./ HCC Ent/Exit Detour
B13 Stop and Shop/ Quarry Hill/ Brownstone Detour
R14 Pheasant Hill/Industrial Dr./Heritage Nursing Home Detour
B17 Colonial Estates/ Fernbank Detour
G19 Job Corps Detour
P20 Tokeneke Rd/KMart Plaza/South St Plaza Detour
P21 Linden Towers/ Bay State Medical/Spfld/Meetinghouse Rd. Detour
B23 Soldiers Home/HCC/ Jarvis Ave/ University Park Apt/ Kids Place Detour
R24 Essex St/ Holyoke Hosp/ St Kobe/ Chestnut Detour/ Elm Detour
R25 Flats Detour
R27 Fernbank/ Dipping Hole/Tinkan Detour
31 South Amherst Detour
32 Pine Street/Mill Hollow Detour
34/35 Orchard Hill Snow & Admissions Center Detours
38 The Notch Detour
M40 Massachusetts Avenue near Southwest Dormitories/Haigis Mall Detour
R41 Mountain Rd Closed, No Service to HCC
R42 No Service to Williamsburg Leeds and/or VA Center
B43 Haigis Mall/Amherst College (use Amherst Common stop) Detour
R44 Meadowbrook Apartment/Florence Heights/High Street/Barrett and Jackson Streets/Fruit Street Detour
Paratransit Service
- Severity Level I - The area is experiencing freezing rain or a predicted three (3) inches or less of snow is falling, contingent upon volume accumulated over time.
- Severity Level II - Some areas are experiencing severe freezing rain/freezing road conditions or a predicted three (3) to twelve (12) inches of snow is falling, contingent upon volume accumulated over time.
- Severity Level III - All areas are experiencing severe freezing rain/freezing road conditions or six (6) or more inches of heavy snow is predicted to hit the area.
Paratransit trip categories are defined as follows:
Non-essential trips: Trips that are general in nature, such as shopping, school, hair appointments, etc.
Medical/Job related trips: Trips to and from medical appointments or work locations.
Life sustaining trip: Trips to and from dialysis, chemotherapy, radiation, or other types as they may apply.
Severity Level I
Paratransit operators witnessing or receiving reports of unsafe road conditions are authorized to make temporary modifications to service in order to safeguard the van service operations. Any temporary service modification must be reported to the Deputy Administrator of Operations or designee. Only non-essential trip types may be temporarily modified.
Severity Level II
All paratransit (non essential and medical/job related) trips will be cancelled with the exception of trips involving passengers being transported to a life sustaining treatment. All life sustaining trips will be performed only while taking primary consideration for the ultimate safety of both passengers and operators.
- Notification of service changes to all scheduled riders will be made immediately following a decision to cancel non-essential and medical/job related trips.
- Notification of service changes to all Dialysis Centers. Please note that Dialysis Centers required at least four (4) hours notice to make alternate arrangements for their patients.
- Dialysis Centers are required to ensure that all driving/parking areas and walkways are safe passages for vehicles and passengers.
- The Deputy Administrator of Operations will inform the Paratransit Operator of the decision to operate paratransit services under a Severity Level II protocol.
- The Paratransit Operator is to communicate directly with the Deputy Administrator of Operations regarding any service changes.
- The Paratransit Operator may call passengers directly to assess conditions for safe pick up and drop off locations.
- Patients will be directed to contact the Dialysis Centers regarding service and/or treatment changes.
- If safe conditions are not present for pick up or drop off of passengers, the Paratransit Operator is to call the community contacts for assistance.
The Deputy Administrator of Operations or designee has the authorization to curtail service and to limit the type of vehicles used in service. In such cases the Administrator will be informed as soon as possible.
Severity Level III
The Deputy Administrator of Operations can issue a paratransit system wide curtailment of service order.
Detour Information
Fixed Route Service
G1 Cannon Circle Detour.
Service will terminate at Five Town Plaza, no service to Cannon Circle.
G2 Cottage St / Dwight Rd / Stop & Shop Detour.
Service will terminate at Big Y. No service to Cottage Street, Dwight Road or Stop and Shop. No service to East Longmeadow Industrial Park or Sunbridge.
G3 Franklin St / Genesee/ King Westford Circle Detour
Bus will serve Saab Court and return to Liberty St in both directions. No service to Franklin Street or King Westford Circle.
B4 Clyde/ Sanderson St Detour.
Bus will use Plainfield St.; alternate route. No Service to Clyde, Sanderson.
G5 Tiffany/ Dwight Rd/ Genesis House Detour.
Bus will use Dickinson St to Converse Street to the Jewish Home and back via Dickinson. No service to Tiffany Street, Dwight Road or Genesis House.
B6 Williams St/ Pasco Rd Detour.
Bus will travel on Berkshire Ave in both directions and will terminate either at Center St. or Hubbard St. No service to Williams Street or Pasco Road.
B7 Independence House/Big Y Detour.
Bus will travel on Boston Rd. on both directions. No service to Independence House or Big Y.
R10 Western Mass Hospital/East Mtn Apts/ Noble St Detour
Bus travel along Main Street to Park Square. No service to Western Mass Hospital or Nobel Street / Westfield State College.
P11 Kids Place/ Dwight and Harrison Ave Detour
No service to the Kids Place at HCC. Service will terminate at SBT. No service to Dwight Street and Harrison Ave.
B13 Stop and Shop Detour
No service to Stop and Shop in East Longmeadow. No service to quarry Hill or Brownstone Apartments.
R14 Pheasant Hill/Industrial Dr./Heritage Nursing Home Detour.
Bus will travel along on main streets only. No service to Pheasant Hill, the Industrial Park or Heritage Nursing Home.
B15 Bay Street Detour.
Service will terminate at Bay Street. No service to Oak Grove.
B17 Colonial Estates/ Fernbank Road Detour.
Bus will travel along Parker Street and Boston Road to the Eastfield Mall and back. No service to Colonial Estates, Fernbank Road.
G19 Job Corps Detour
Bus will travel along the main roads. No service to Job Corps. No service to Porter and Chester
P20 Industrial Park/Tokeneke Rd/ K Mart Plaza/ South St Plaza.
Bus will travel along Riverdale road, Whitening Farms Road and South Street to Veterans Park. Service will terminate at SBT. No service to Tokeneke Road, K-Mart Plaza or South Street Plaza.
P21 Linden Towers/ Bay State Medical/Meetinghouse Rd. Detour.
Bus will travel along main roads only. No Service to Linden Towers, Bay State Medical Center or Meeting House Road.
B23 HCC/Jarvis Ave/University Pk Apt/ Kids Place Detour.
Service will operate along main roads only. No service to HCC, Jarvis Avenue, and University Park Apartments.
R24 Essex St/Hosp/St Kobe/ Chestnut Detour.
Bus will travel along Dwight/Appleton Streets, and Northampton Street on its way to Veterans Park. From Veterans Park will travel Cabot/Locust to Essex. No service on a portion of Essex Street, Holyoke Hospital St. Kobel or Chestnut Street.
R25/ Flats Detour.
R27 Fernbank/ Dipping Hole/ Tinkham Detour
Bus will travel along Boston Road in both directions. No service to Fernbank Road, Dipping Hole Road or Tinkham Road.
31 South Amherst Detour
Buses will not serve the Boulders and South Point Apartment complexes. Instead, buses will turn around by taking a right onto Trimwood Lane off of East Hadley Road, detouring around that residential neighborhood and returning to East Hadley Road via Columbia Drive. Service for Boulders and South Point residents would occur at a temporary stop posted on the corner of Trimwood Lane and at the bus stop along East Hadley Road.
32 Pine Street/Mill Hollow Detour
Bus will not turn onto Sand Hill Road to Mill Hollow Apartments. Instead, it travels down Pine Street to the intersection with North Pleasant Street, turns right onto Route 63, and then right onto Summer Street. The bus travels down to the end of Summer Street, services Mill Hollow Apt. and then turns left onto Pulpit Hill Road, continuing the route as normal from that point onward.
34/35 Orchard Hill Snow Detour
Buses in both directions remain on East Pleasant Street and do not turn into Orchard Hill from East Pleasant Street. Temporary Bus stops will be serviced along East Pleasant Street entrances to Orchard Hill at Clark Hill Road and Orchard Hill Drive.
Admissions Center Detour
Buses in both directions remain on Olympia Drive and do not turn up the hill to the Admissions Center.
The Notch Detour
When the Notch is closed (typically by state troopers, along Route 116), the buses travel from Mount Holyoke College to Hampshire College via Route 47. Any buses that are on the north side of the notch are instructed to remain north of the notch and only service stops between Hampshire College and UMass. There is no service to MHC during Level III severe weather conditions.
SEVERITY LEVEL I
R41 Mount Tom Detour
Possible discontinuance of use of Highway 141 over Mt Tom hill. Buses will discontinue service to HCC.
R42 Leeds/VA Hospital Detour
Discontinue service to Leeds (Front & Leonard Streets)
Possible inability to use VA Hospital entrance. Possible discontinuance of service to Williamsburg.
R44 Meadowbrook Apartments/Florence Heights Detour
Possible by-pass of Meadowbrook apartments via Bridge, Hatfield, Route 9 to Florence and return (if unsanded and icy)
Use of Indian Hill Rd instead of turn around at Florence Heights (if unsanded and icy)
SEVERITY LEVEL II
M40 Haigis Mall Detour
Discontinuance of Haigis Mall circle use
R41 Mount Tom Detour
Possible discontinuance of Highway 141 over Mt. Tom hill. Buses will discontinue service to HCC
R42 Williamsburg/Leeds/VA Center Detour
Discontinue service to Leeds and Williamsburg. Discontinue service to
VA Center pick up and drop off on Route 9 at entrance drive to hospital
B43 Haigis Mall/Amherst College (use Amherst Common stop) Detour
Possible Umass pickups at Massachusetts Avenue (discontinuance of Haigus Mall Circle use)
Potential one way routing to/from Umass & Amherst from Hampshire Mall
By-pass Amherst College (use Amherst Common stop)
R44 Meadowbrook Apartment/Florence Heights/High Street/Barrett and Jackson Streets/Fruit Street/Academy of Music Detour
Discontinue Meadowbrook Apartment area service (if not previously by-passed)
Use of Indian Circle and pick up of Florence Heights passengers
Possible discontinuance of Florence Heights area service
By-pass High Street in Florence
Use of King Street exit of Hampshire Plaza, and King Street route to Bridge Street. Use of North King Street as necessary (by-passing Barrett and Jackson Streets)
Discontinue use of Fruit Street (exiting Salvo House by front entrance to Conz Street and using most appropriate detour route to Academy of Music (next stop)