Saturday, January 23, 2016

Winter Storm Jonas Paralyzes Travel: Ban Issued in New York, Drivers Stranded on Pennsylvania Turnpike

Sean Breslin
Published: January 23,2016

Winter Storm Jonas has crippled travel in multiple regions with its snow and ice, and as of Saturday morning, thousands of motorists were stranded on two separate roadways in Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
Air travel has been heavily affected by Jonas as well. Flight tracking service FlightAware says more than 9,000 flights to, from or within the U.S. have been canceled this weekend due to the blizzard hitting the East Coast.
The bulk of Saturday's nearly 4,900 cancellations are at airports in the New York City and Washington areas. Another 1,500 flights were canceled for Sunday. Those cancellations center on Philadelphia, Washington and New York City. Airlines have essentially shut down all flights into those cities.
The airlines hope to be back to a full schedule by Sunday afternoon to handle the typical influx of business travelers heading out to start the work week.
The Regan National and Dulles International airports are expected to remain closed through Sunday. Significant snowfall and high winds have made removing snow from the runways, roadways and parking lot difficult.
Amtrak service was affected across the Northeast Saturday, and service changes, including cancellations, were also planned for Sunday in the region, according to a press release. 
Here is a state-by-state breakdown of Winter Storm Jonas' travel impacts.

Pennsylvania

Along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, dozens of vehicles were stranded Friday night and into Saturday morning because of heavy, blowing snow. A turnpike official said they do not expect anyone will have to spend another night stranded on the highway. 
According to Spokeswoman Renee Colburn, front end loaders and members of the National Guard began digging cars and trucks out of the snow Saturday afternoon. Crews have also been working to remove barriers between the eastbound and westbound bound lanes and allowing cars to fuel up at a turnpike maintenance shed.
One of the vehicles that became stranded was a bus carrying the Duquesne University men's basketball team, who was stranded for about 12 hours and counting in an area between Somerset and Bedford, Pennsylvania, ABC News reported.
The team was returning to Pittsburgh from Fairfax, Virginia, after a Friday night game against George Mason University, the report added. The bus got stranded about 80 miles from home.
(MORE: Latest Impacts from Jonas | Check the Forecast)
Just stepped off the bus | at least 18" of snow outside the door

Philadelphia International Airport announced via Twitter all Saturday flights will be canceled due to the winter storm. 

A church group returning from the March for Life in Washington D.C. and a bus transporting the Temple gymnastics team were also stuck on the turnpike, AP reports.
According to Gov. Tom Wolf's office, the issue developed after tractor-trailers traveling west were unable to go up a hill. Traffic began to back up behind them and more trucks were unable to climb the hill. Emergency crews with tow trucks were unable to get to the scene and road crews were unable to clear snow due to the gridlock.

New York

Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency Saturday and issued a travel ban for the New York City starting at 2:30 p.m. and extending, according to a tweet later sent by Cuomo, until 7 a.m. Sunday. The governor's order bans travel on roads in the city and elsewhere. In addition, all Port Authority bridges and tunnels are closed until further notice.
 
"Stay off the road," the NYPD tweeted. "We don't want to have to arrest you. Last year no one got arrested. People made the right decisions. We are looking for that again today."
 
The MTA is suspending above-ground subway service but has released a map highligting which underground lines will be open after 4 p.m. Service on the Long Island Rail Road, Staten Island Rail Road and Metro-North will be suspended at 4:00 p.m. Some rail services may be delayed or suspended on a case-by-case basis as conditions warrant, so commuters should not wait until 4:00 p.m. to head home, the governor said.
Officials shut down above-ground subway service Saturday, reports AP. Suspended lines include a majority of the 4 and 5 trains to the Bronx, the A train to the Rockaways, and the F, B, D and Q trains in Brooklyn. 
The MTA bus service was shut down at noon and the above-ground Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North service were stopped at 4 p.m.
Uber services were also suspended in the city and New Jersey Saturday, according to Re/Code.

Kentucky

To the southwest, drivers were still stuck on Interstate 75 south of Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday morning as Winter Storm Jonas turned the highway into a parking lot. Some motorists said they had been stuck on I-75 for upwards of 10 hours. According to the Associated Press, the freeway reopened at around 9 a.m. EST Saturday morning, allowing drivers to finally pass through the area.
Kate Bragg and her husband, Alexx, became stuck in the gridlock while attempting to travel from Indiana to Tennessee, AP reports. 
"Emotional breaking point coupled with exhaustion has been met," Bragg tweeted after spending about eight hours on the highway. She later added: "Sleeping on the interstate... Don't they normally caution against this?"
The couple finally got off the interstate at about 2:30 a.m., using online mapping services to find a way around the clogged interstate, AP reports. 
Kentucky State Police said emergency shelters were opened near two exits along Interstate 75 for motorists who were stranded by the mammoth storm that's already dumped 18 inches of snow on portions of the state.
The traffic backup – from mile marker 76 to mile marker 41 – was 35 miles long, state trooper Kendra Wilson told CNN on Saturday morning.
A section of I-75 in Rockcastle County was closed twice during Friday afternoon and evening due to numerous accidents. It turned I-75 in both directions in Rockcastle and Laurel counties into a parking lot. The American Red Cross provided food to stranded drivers.
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin declared a statewide emergency Friday, urging people to stay off the roads and providing local officials with immediate access to state resources in dealing with the storm.

Washington D.C.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced Thursday that Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess service will be suspended during the blizzard, according to a news release. At 11 p.m. Friday, the train system will be shut down and remain closed through Sunday. Bus service will be shut down at 5 p.m. Friday and the MetroAccess transit service for customers with disabilities will be suspended Friday after 6 p.m.
“This is not a storm that anyone should take lightly, and I would urge all residents to plan to get to a safe place before the storm arrives Friday afternoon,” said Metro general manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld. “The actions we are taking today are all in the interest of our customers’ and employees’ safety, and will help us return to service once the storm passes and the snow is cleared.”
Amtrak service within the city has been disrupted as well. Trains scheduled to depart the nation's capital for New York City were canceled and there is no service to stations in Virginia and the Southeast, according to Amtrak's website.

Maryland

Gov. Larry Hogan announced Saturday the closure of I-70 and I-270 to "safely clear the Interstates of snow." The nearly 35-mile length of highway "will remain closed until 7 a.m. on Sunday to all motorists except for emergency personnel," according to a press release on the governor's website.

New Jersey

Saturday at 2 a.m. bus and rail service implemented a full, temporary shutdown, according to a release from NJ Transit. Access Link service was also suspended all day Saturday and will resume Sunday at noon.
No United Express flights will be operated at Newark Liberty International Airport Saturday, but a limited number of mainline United flights will be operated. Operations at both Dulles and Newark are expected to resume Sunday, based on weather conditions.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a travel ban Saturday afternoon, prohibiting driving on all state roads in New York City, Long Island, and the Port Authority's trans-Hudson crossings. 
Uber services were suspended Saturday afternoon after the announcement of the travel ban, according to Re/Code. 

Delaware

A Level 2 driving ban was issued in Delaware Saturday, prohibiting anyone not designated as "essential personnel" or without a waiver from the state's Emergency Management Agency from driving on roadways.
According to a news release from the Delaware Department of Transportation, Sussex County had significant flooding and Route 1 was shut down due to water from the ocean and the bay breaching the sand dunes.

No comments:

Post a Comment