A microburst that blasted through Bedford during afternoon rush hour Wednesday extended a lot of commuting times exponentially.
Downed trees blocked two arteries — Carlisle Road and Concord Road — in both directions, beginning around 5:30 pm, police reported.
Either one of those streets could serve as the prime alternate westbound route for the other. But with both blocked, the shortest route to Carlisle was via Treble Cove Road off Route 4 in Billerica. Concord-bound traffic could traverse the perimeter of Hanscom Field on Wood Street in Lexington, then head west on Route 2A.
Once in a while, that’s what happens when two state roads are squeezed between an airport and a river with flood plain.
The tree that fell near 215 Carlisle Road struck a moving car. Police said the branches smashed the windshield but the heavy part of the tree landed several feet away from the front bumper There were no injuries. When that tree was removed by officers, with the assistance of nearby landscapers, Carlisle Road was passable one lane at a time, police reported.
The Concord Road delay was more complicated. The tree that blocked Route 62 near Wheeler Drive and the Concord line was entangled in live wires, and as of 8 pm, utility crews were still on the scene.
Trees were reported down in other parts of town, a few on streets and any more on private property. There were a handful of power outages, most of them reported in the West Bedford area.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
Click this link to learn more about The Bedford Citizen’s first community reporter.
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