Driving Ban In Place For Erie County As Dangerous Storm Approaches WNY

Erie County has officially put a driving ban in place ahead of the massive snowstorm that is expected to dump anywhere from two to six feet of snow on Buffalo and Western New York.

UPDATE (11/19/22): The travel ban is now a travel advisory in all of Buffalo except South Buffalo. The driving ban is still in effect in South Buffalo.

UPDATE (11/18/22 6 am): For the northtowns - the City of Tonawanda, Town of Tonawanda, Grand Island, Newstead, Clarence, and Amherst, it has been changed to a travel advisory. For everywhere else in Erie County, the travel ban is still in place. There were a few minor accidents and vehicles that got stuck overnight. But overall, the driving ban helped.

ORIGINAL STORY:
As the storm begins to roll into our area tonight, there is currently a state of emergency in the 11 counties - Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Niagara, Oneida, Oswego, St. Lawrence, and Wyoming - that will bear the brunt of the storm.

At 8 pm tonight, Thursday, November 17, 2022, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted that the driving ban would take effect at 9 pm.

Due to the imminent storm, a State of Emergency has been declared for Erie County. A Driving Ban will be in effect for ALL of Erie County as of 9 PM. Only those authorized for emergency travel are to drive. We will reevaluate the location of the Driving Ban tomorrow morning.

New York State Thruway To Close To Commercial Traffic Due To Snowstorm

Governor Kathy Hochul has already shut down the New York State Thruway to commercial traffic, so the ban will help keep the roads clear of unnecessary vehicles. As the storm is expected to bring 3 or more inches of snow per hour, visibility and driving conditions will become more treacherous tonight into tomorrow. This is a potentially deadly storm if people do not take heed and stay off the roads.

The New York State Department of Transportation has issued a full commercial vehicle ban starting Thursday at 4 pm.

Interstate 190 - Route 62 to I-90 Interstate 290 - full length Interstate 990 - full length Route 33 - full length Route 219 - Route 39 to I-90 Route 400 - full length Buffalo Skyway Route 5 - full length I-81 - Exit 33 to Canadian border - trucks use right lane only.

Gov. Hochul Warns Snowstorm Is Extreme, Major Event In Buffalo And WNY

During a press conference earlier today, Gov. Hochul said "be smart, be ready for the worst." WNYers should be ready to check in on their neighbors as the storm could go on for a number of days. She warned residents that the cleanup is going to take a while. The Gov. said that even though there are 350 plows, it is almost impossible to clear the roads to make it safe to travel.

Credit: Governor Kathy Hochul via Youtube

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