BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey and public safety leaders announced the statewide implementation of new technology on Massachusetts streets and highways in an effort to prevent wrong-way driving accidents following a flurry of recent crashes.

This new tech follows the wrong-way driving death of State Trooper Kevin Trainor, who died in May after intercepting the driver with his cruiser.

In another wrong-way crash, an illegal immigrant caused the collision that put a state trooper in the hospital.

Both crashes happened just miles apart from each other on Route 1.

“Look, my job as governor is to protect public safety, and that’s why I swiftly ordered MassDOT to enhance and speed up and bring to bear all the technologies, all the resources, and deploy those resources, particularly around the dangerous spots on the roadways across the Commonwealth, to prevent these kinds of tragedies,” Healey said when asked by the Herald if illegal immigrants should continue to have licenses.

“We’re committed to doing everything we can through the State Police, the Executive Office of Public Safety, to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and through my administration working in partnership with law enforcement and with those across government to do what we need to do to take all steps necessary to protect public safety on and off of our roadways,” she said.

The effort will implement wrong-way warning technology at 500 high-risk locations across Massachusetts where drivers may be more likely to enter roadways in the wrong direction due to confusion or roadway design. The governor’s office says the complete implementation will take multiple years.

Specifically, MassDOT will retrofit existing intersections and camera systems with new wrong-way driver detection technology at 430 locations across the state, which operates by identifying wrong-way movements and providing real-time alerts to law enforcement.

The plan also calls for hardware to be installed in existing signal cabinets for data collection, detection, and notification capabilities. The systems will include activated warning measures, like illuminated signs and flashing LED lights designed to alert potential wrong-way drivers, to be installed throughout 2026 and 2027.

“Roadway safety is MassDOT’s top priority, and through the comprehensive strategy we are announcing today, we expect to make significant progress in reducing wrong-way driving crashes, which too often result in tragic consequences,” said Transportation Undersecretary and State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver.

“We’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact that wrong-way driving crashes can have on families, law enforcement and communities across Massachusetts,” Healey added. “People deserve to be safe on our roads, and we’re taking action. By investing in new technology, stronger safety measures and targeted infrastructure improvements, we’re working to prevent these crashes before they happen and help save lives.”

In the long term, Healey’s office says it will advance capital projects to redesign and reconstruct interchanges with a history of wrong-way driving issues.

Last month, State Trooper Kevin Trainor was killed when he intercepted a wrong-way driver with his cruiser on Route 1 near the Lynnfield/Saugus line. The driver, Hernan Marrero, a 50-year old naturalized citizen living in Boston, also died in the crash.

“The Massachusetts State Police continue to mourn the loss of Trooper Kevin Trainor, who gave his life while attempting to stop a wrong-way driver. His sacrifice is a solemn reminder of the dangers our Troopers confront every day in their mission to protect the public,” State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble told reporters Wednesday.

Just two weeks later, an illegal immigrant driving the wrong way on Route 1, just a few miles south of the scene involving Trainor, hospitalized another trooper who intercepted him with his cruiser. ICE apprehended the suspect following his arraignment in District Court.

“I think it’s about people paying attention and people doing the right thing. I think that that’s what it’s about and that’s why I really, you know, can’t speak any stronger than I just spoke about the issue,” Healey said when pressed by the Herald on illegal immigrant drivers in Massachusetts and if the state’s driver’s license test should be revisited.

The technology effort follows a 2022 pilot program that saw the tech installed on 16 highway ramps across the state.

AAA Northeast is applauding the expansion of the technology, noting that over 5,700 wrong-way crashes have killed 135 people in Massachusetts between 2018 and 2025. The organization says the fatality rate was over five times higher on highways with median barriers than that on undivided highways.

“Expanding the state’s wrong-way crash detection program will reduce the frequency of these crashes and save lives,” said AAA Northeast Senior Spokesperson Mark Schieldrop. “Investments in technology are a core part of a comprehensive strategy to prevent crashes and fatalities on our roads.”

The implementation comes after the Massachusetts Senate voted in May in favor of a budget amendment to require new infrastructure and training for police on how to deal with wrong-way driving incidents.

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