Apparently hoping to avoid the monumental traffic tie-up caused by history-making snowfall in late November, New York State has closed a portion of the Thruway (I-90) in the western part of the state ahead of a similar storm forecast to hit the area now through Saturday.
The Thruway made this announcement:
“Parts of the New York State Thruway in Western New York will be closed due to extreme winter weather conditions. The mainline Thruway, I-90, between Exit 46 (Henrietta) and Exit 61 (Shortman Road), as well as the Niagara Section, I-190, between I-90 and Exit 16 (I-290), will be closed to tractor trailers at 9 p.m. tonight. Starting at midnight, these same sections will be closed to all traffic. Vehicles traveling westbound on I-90 will be detoured off the roadway at Exit 46 (Henrietta) and all eastbound traffic will be detoured off at Exit 61 (Shortman Road). All vehicles traveling south on I-190 will be detoured off at Exit 16 (I-290).”
Here is a list of other highways in western New York closed by the storm.
In November, about100 trucks were stranded in as much as 7 feet of snow on the Thruway for several days. Others were stranded in nearby truck and rest stops.
The current forecast is calling for high winds, severe cold and as much as 2 feet of snow falling through Saturday. As of Friday (Jan. 9) morning, the lake effect storm was shifting south of Buffalo.
