Storm Causes Flight, Transit & Traffic Changes Across Tri-State Area
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A snowy nor'easter slammed the Tri-State Area Wednesday, causing traffic and transit changes, as well as flight cancellations at area airports.
Flights:
While flight activity is continuing at area airports, hundreds of flights have been canceled.
Newark Liberty International Airport has cancelled approximately 717 flights, John F. Kennedy International Airport has cancelled 532 and LaGuardia Airport 708.
The Port Authority urged travelers to check with their airlines before heading to the airport.
Transit:
Wire and signal problems caused service disruptions and delays for NJ TRANSIT, which also suspended bus service on all routes as of 4:30 p.m.
PATH was no longer cross-honoring tickets and passes as of late Wednesday.
The Long Island Rail Road resumed limited service on its Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Hempstead branches with residual delays.
Metro-North service was suspended on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines due to downed trees and other infrastructure issues.
Amtrak's Northeast Regional and Acela Express services are running on a modified schedule on the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C. and Boston. Amtrak's Keystone Service and Empire Service are also operating on a modified schedule. For more information, click here.
Some bus carriers using the Port Authority Bus Terminal have also canceled or modified service. For a list of carriers, click here.
Many commuters rushed to catch trains and buses early – leaving around noon instead of five or six, CBS2's Cindy Hsu reported from Penn Station.
"When the snow started, it started to accumulate right away. I'm actually terrified of the conditions I'm going to find when I get home. So I'm going to rush off to my car and try to clean it off as soon as I can," Aysha Mirza, of Sewaren, New Jersey, said.
"Fortunately my boss said it was time to go, so I took him up on the offer," said Anthony Puricelli, of Morganville, New Jersey.
"I got to work late – 45 minutes – so it's been a long day. I just want to get home," Edi Bogdanovic, of Chatham, New Jersey, said.
Hsu also found some families that took their kids out of school early.
"We're going home early, because in Brooklyn it was snowing really hard and I thought the trains would shut down at a certain point," said Sechita McNair, of Bradley Beach, New Jersey.
Traffic:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued a travel ban on all tractor-trailers, buses, box trucks and other tall vehicles for I-90 just outside Syracuse to Albany and for I-87 from Albany to the Yonkers-Bronx line.
The ban also applies to parts of I-81, I-88, I-84, I-684, I-287, I-95 and Route 17.
The Outerbridge Crossing is also under a 30 mph speed restriction.
Alternate side parking is suspended Wednesday and Thursday in the city, but drivers still have to pay the meters.
