As college students return to campuses across the Boston area, the city is gearing up for an influx of traffic — and the potential for “Storrowings.”
Temporary parking restrictions will be in place for a week, through Tuesday, Sept. 2, in areas around Northeastern University and Boston University.
The restrictions will affect several neighborhoods, including Fenway, Allston, Mission Hill and Roxbury. The full list and traffic advisory can be found on the city’s website.
At Northeastern University on Tuesday, students from around the world were on campus moving into their dorms.
“It’s been a bit complicated, especially transporting everything from one place to another,” said Abraham Seidner, who is from Colombia.
For many out-of-towners, navigating the city’s streets can be a challenge — and move-in week is also the time when the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation braces for an increased risk of “Storrowing.”
In recent years, Boston has seen an uptick in disruptive bridge strikes on Storrow Drive.
The local term refers to the act of driving an oversized vehicle directly into a pedestrian bridge, usually on Storrow Drive or Soldier’s Field Road in Boston and Memorial Drive in Cambridge.
In a immediately-yearly effort to prevent these incidents, DCR has released a public awareness video in the style of a breaking news report. The department’s digital strategist, Ryan Hutton, starred as fictional news anchor Jeff Hairdo in the campaign.
“I’m starring in it because I can’t in good conscience ask one of our traffic engineers to play Jeff Hairdo,” said Hutton.
PHOTOS: Years of ‘storrowings’ in Boston
The video takes a humorous approach to the very serious topic.
“‘Storrowing!’ Don’t let it ruin your move to Boston,” Hutton begins. “So what can you do to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of ‘Storrowing’? Start with driving with your eyes open. We put up like a hundred signs all over the place, warning folks of the low clearance heights.”
Over the winter, following a successful pilot program, DCR and MassDOT installed more than 40 high visibility “cars only” signs along the river roads.
“I’m feeling pretty good so far,” Hutton said. “We’ve had none in the past few days. No reports of any bridge strikes and, looking at our log, we had a backout happen Aug. 19, but that’s about it.”
It is not uncommon to see moving trucks or other large vehicles stuck under the low bridges on Storrow Drive. The state is trying to drive down those numbers with new signage.
According to DCR, there were no reports of “Storrowings” during move-in week in 2023 and 2024. Will 2025 make it a three-peat?
“Prove to everyone that you belong at one of Boston’s very nice colleges by driving with clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose… the security deposit on your truck,” Hutton says in the video.
If you are renting a U-Haul or box truck, Hutton suggests downloading a truck driver app like Hammer or TruckMap, both of which allow you to enter the height of your vehicle to avoid becoming a “Storrowing” victim.
“Please just look. Don’t blindly follow your GPS straight into a bridge,” Hutton added.
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