Subject: Re: DML: Now SNOW, longish
Here's the latest:
>From the NYS Thruway web site: http://www.thruway.state.ny.us/
(Parenthesis are mine. Also I don't know what the DML coding will do to
this cut and paste text, it may be hard to read)
TRAFFIC ADVISORY:
THRUWAY CLOSED BETWEEN HENRIETTA AND HAMBURG
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
The New York State Thruway Authority announced today (Thursday, Dec. 27)
that due to extremely heavy snowfall and lack of visibility in Western New
York, the westbound lanes of the Thruway are now closed from Exit 46
(Henrietta, west of Rochester) to Exit 57 (Hamburg, south of Buffalo).
Thruway eastbound lanes between Exit 57 (Hamburg) and Exit 48 (Batavia) also
remain closed to traffic at this time. Also, I-190 between the Buffalo city
line and the I-290 intersection, Exit N-16, remains closed until further
notice.
Tandem traffic has also been banned between Exits 46 and 57.
(No Sh*t! If the road is closed, all traffic; singles, tandems, and everyone
else is not allowed)
The latest weather forecasts predict anywhere between 24 and 48 inches of
additional snow falling within the next 48 hours. Thruway crews are out in
full force plowing and salting the roadway; however, the Authority advises
motorists to use alternate routes of travel to avoid these areas.
>From The Democrat and Chronicle site:
http://www.rochesternews.com/1229story7.html
Democrat and Chronicle
(Saturday, December 29, 2001) -- While record snow -- almost 7 feet in five
days -- continued to bury Buffalo, the Rochester area reached out to help.
One city of Rochester snow removal crew left for Buffalo at 4 a.m.
yesterday; another left at noon. Together, 22 city plow operators and two
supervisors will use six plow trucks and five loaders during alternating
12-hour shifts.
"We'll run the equipment around the clock until Sunday night," said Peter
Scott, the city's assistant director of operations for environmental
services. "That's the (time) window we thought we could spare."
It was a "gamble" to lend out snow equipment in late December, said Scott,
but Rochester's favorable forecast was a factor: Chances of light snow range
from 40 percent to 60 percent through Monday.
"By now we've usually sent our plows out a few times, but we haven't sent
them out at all," Mayor William A. Johnson Jr. said. "I know that (Buffalo
Mayor) Tony (Masiello) would do the same for us, but I hope he doesn't have
to. We certainly don't want anything like that to happen here."
Crews and trucks from Brighton and Irondequoit also joined the Rochester
plow crews.
On Thursday night, Rural/Metro Medical Services in Rochester dispatched two
ambulances, a plow truck, a mechanic and four emergency medical technicians
or paramedics to help with emergency calls during Buffalo's intense
snowfall.
"The city is shut down," said Rural/Metro spokesman Darrell Grigg, who was
in touch with the crews by phone.
The Rochester ambulances were followed around by four-wheel-drive vehicles,
he said, because many of Buffalo's side streets remain impassable.
The ambulance crews arrived back in Rochester last night. One or two others
will be sent to Buffalo today and tomorrow, Grigg said.
As of yesterday, Friday, the estimate for total accumulation in Buffalo from
Christmas Eve through the end of this weekend was 8 FEET! Until Lake Erie
freezes over completely, prevailing winds will continue to pick up moisture
as they travel the 250-mile length of the lake and dump it down wind. The
plumes of "Lake effect" haven't reached very far into Monroe County. Where I
am, southeast of the city, we have about three inches. Watertown and Potsdam
are being affected like Buffalo.
Andy, you're right about the "Idiots". Some people doing 23 mph with their
noses pressed against the windshield on I-490 and others doing 85 mph and
fishtailing all over while driving through 2 inches of slush.
Neil
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:03:44 EDT