Thruway, I-84 restrictions set for morning
If you're going to be among the 46.3 million Americans that AAA says will journey 50 miles or more during the Thanksgiving holiday, try not to do any of your driving on Wednesday.
The state has already issued some commercial traffic restrictions on portions of Interstate 84 and the New York State Thruway. The Thruway is closed to long tandem vehicles from New York City to Albany in both directions beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday, according to 511ny.org's website. Commercial truck traffic is banned from Interstate 84 from Connecticut to the Pennsylvania border starting at 7 a.m. as well. The state is ready to close down Interstate 84 as soon as 7 a.m. Wednesday if forecasts of heavy snow pan out, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office signaled Tuesday.
Cuomo on Tuesday issued a statement urging motorists using the highway to leave Tuesday night if possible for their Thanksgiving travels and to avoid using the road on Wednesday, when a snowstorm is predicted to hit much of the Hudson Valley.
I-84 runs west to east across parts of Orange, Putnam and Dutchess counties, connecting Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
"This is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, and with winter weather expected to impact much of the state, I urge all travelers to planning to use I-84 to establish an alternative route and exercise caution," Cuomo said in a statement. "I've directed state agencies to be on heightened alert as this storm develops, and we are taking all necessary precautions to address potentially hazardous conditions."
Cuomo hasn't been afraid to shut down I-84 at the threat of snow in the past, arguing in favor of a better-safe-than-sorry approach when he closed the highway ahead of an anticipated storm in February. But he's faced criticism for previous shutdowns, notably from Sen. Greg Ball, R-Patterson, Putnam County, who questioned whether shutting down the road did "more harm than help."
Last week, two massive bands of lake-effect snow dumped more than 70 inches on some parts of the Buffalo area, leading more than 100 cars to become temporarily stranded on Interstate 90. A stretch of the Thruway was shut down from Rochester west to the Pennsylvania border overnight Monday into Tuesday.
The state is deploying 911 snow plows and more than 130,000 tons of road salt between Albany and New York City for the anticipated storm Wednesday, according to Cuomo's office.
According to the latest update from the National Weather Service, 10 to 14 inches of snow could fall in the mid-Hudson Valley, beginning Wednesday morning and ending Thursday morning. A winter storm watch is in effect for that period.
"Don't drive Wednesday or Wednesday evening," said Stephen DiRienzo of the National Weather Service in Albany. "If you travel, do it Tuesday or Thursday morning."
DiRienzo said forecasts call for snow to end between 7 and 8 a.m. Thursday.
Partly cloudy skies should allow the sun to poke through and assist in snow removal during the day, he said.
READ: What's the plan for Poughkeepsie city snow removal this year?
Snow should be steady during the day Wednesday, with winds averaging about 15 miles per hour and temperatures in the 30s. Temperatures are expected to reach the high 30s on Thanksgiving Day.
Snow is set to fall at a rate of one-to-two inches per hour.
For drivers, there is at least one piece of good news: AAA predicts most travelers will pay the cheapest Thanksgiving gas prices in five years.
More than 89 percent — 41.3 million — of holiday travelers will drive to their destination, according to AAA. That's up 4.3 percent from 2013.
Journal Albany bureau writer Jon Campbell contributed to this story. John Ferro: 845-437-4816; jferro@poughkeepsiejournal.com; Twitter: @PoJoEnviro
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