Severe flooding due to torrential rains forced police to shut down Route 28 in Andover this morning at around 7 a.m.
Police said a marsh near the road tends to flood during heavy rains, often shutting the busy commuter route.
Other roads in Andover are down to one lane, police said, but none are as severe
In Haverhill, Route 97 (Winter Street) was shut down last night when the water in the Little River became dangerously high, threatening the roadway.
It will be shut until the water subsides. It is often shut due to heavy rain, police said.
Several other streets have been marked as hazardous, including Rosemont Street and Lake Street near Round Pond, with barrels or police tape, although they have not been shut down.
In Lawrence, police and fire officials were keeping watch on the Shawsheen River where it flows beneath Route 114 near the Interstate-495 exit. The river was expected to crest at 8 a.m. today.
Fire Dep. John Marsh said police and fire chiefs would be making the determination shortly about whether to shut the road.
Meawhile, Marsh said, the department has been getting "flooded" with calls from people whose smoke detectors are going off due to leaky roofs and shorts in their electrical system. Other residents have been calling about flooded basements, although Lawrence doesn't pump out homes.
Instead, he said, a call from a flooded homeowner will often result in power being shut down, making the problem even worse for some people who need the electricity to power sump pumps.
Mary Immaculate Nursing Center at 172 Lawrence St. is considering deploying a temporary berm to keep the rising Spicket River from flooding out its facility.
In Methuen, police and firefighters were continuing to monitor the Spicket River near Morrison Court, which is already showing signs of flooding this morning.
The river is not expected to crest until tomorrow morning at 2 a.m., meaning it will be rising all day.
In North Andover, Great Pond Road near Lake Cochichewick has been shut down due to flooding wetlands and high water in the lake. Bradford Street is also shut.
Pleasant Street from Great Pond Road to Stevens Street is also shut.
Boxford Street at the Boxford line was shut down by North Andover police, and in Boxford, a motorist was trapped in their car. Firefighters were en route to the scene to rescue the motorist at about 7:50 a.m.
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