Storm coverage

Cuomo to close roads

Travel ban to take place at 11 p.m.; All roads, LIRR closed until further notice

Posted

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced at a press conference late Monday afternoon that a travel ban would take effect in all counties affected by the snowfall, including Nassau County, at 11 p.m. tonight.

“Nothing has changed since we last got a forecast,” Cuomo said at the press conference, which was his second of the day. “If it has changed, it’s gotten worse…The roads are already very dangerous on long Island an in other places, and they’re only going to get worse.”

Subway service will be reduced starting at roughly 7 p.m. on Monday, LIRR and Metro-North facilities will close exactly at 9 p.m., as was planned earlier in the day. Cuomo said the decision to shut down all travel on Long Island came from concerns over public safety and a desire to return to full service as soon as possible.

“First is safety, the roads are already dangerous, we don’t think we will be able to clear them given the rate of snowfall and wind that is expected, so they will only get worse,” he explained. “Second, we’ve learned that the best way to get the system up-and-running again is to keep everything safe and out of the conditions.”

Cuomo said the travel ban was expected to be lifted sometime on Tuesday, depending on weather conditions. “We will have to see what happens. If the storm is ferocious into tomorrow, as is predicted, we’ll have to adapt our service plans to that.”

He closed the press conference by warning residents not to disobey the terms of the travel ban. “This is a very serious situation. If you violate the travel ban, it is a misdemeanor and can carry up to a $300 fine.”