Late Friday night, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo directed the New York State Department of Transportation and the Thruway Authority to ban tractor trailers and buses on the entire Thruway system, with the exception of I-95 in Westchester and Bronx counties, and most interstate highways out of an abundance of caution as winter storm Harper will impact travel across the entire state this weekend. The ban will be in effect beginning 3 p.m. on Saturday and will last for the duration of the storm.

“Safety is our number one priority and with the anticipated storm impacting most of New York State, we are implementing this ban on tractor trailers and buses so our plow operators, fire, law enforcement and emergency personnel can keep roads clean and respond to emergencies as quickly as possible,” Governor Cuomo said. “I am also urging drivers to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.”

Tractor trailers and buses will be banned from the following interstate highways:

DOT Highways:

• I-88 from Binghamton to Albany

• I-86/Rt 17 from PA border to I-87 (entire length)

• I-81 from PA Border to Canadian Border

• I-84 from PA Border to CT Border

• I-684 from I-287 to I-84

• I-87 from Albany to Canadian Border

• I-390 from I-86 to I-90

• I-99 from PA Border to I-86

• I-90 from Thruway Exit 24 to Berkshire Spur Exit B2 (through Cap Dist)

• Rt 219 from Peters Rd to I-90 (expressway section)

• I-190 – full length (both Thruway and DOT sections)

• I-290 – full length

• Rt 5 Skyway – I-190 to NY179 (Milestrip Rd)

• Rt 400 – NY16 to I-90

• I-390, I-490, I-590 around Rochester

• Alternate Route 7 in Albany County

Thruway highways:

• I-90 from PA line to Albany (Int. 24)

• I-87 from Albany (Int. 24) to NYC line

• I-287 (from Suffern to I-95)

• Berkshire Spur from the Thruway Mainline to the Mass line

DOT and the Thruway Authority are actively coordinating traveler information and potential vehicle restrictions with partners at TRANSCOM, NJDOT, CTDOT, and PennDOT. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have announced travel bans.

Anticipated Weather

New Yorkers should expect a general 12 to 24 inches of snowfall throughout Upstate New York over the weekend with Winter Storm Warnings across all of Upstate. The storm will begin to roll in from the southwest Saturday morning and overspread the State Saturday afternoon into evening. The heaviest of the snowfall will be overnight Saturday through the day Sunday. Snowfall forecasts have remained the same with the majority of Upstate set to receive 14 to 20 inches and a portion of the Capital Region receiving up to 24 inches. Snow will linger into Monday with gusting winds causing blowing snow conditions.

New York City can expect three to six inches of snowfall before a transition to rain Saturday evening. On Long Island, two to five inches of snowfall can be expected before it transitions to rain. In the Mid-Hudson Region, the precipitation will transition from all snow to a mix of snow, rain, and ice pellets. The remainder of the State is expected to remain all snow. Winds gusts may reach 35 m.p.h. at times as the system moves through.

Downstate areas will see the transition to rain early in the morning Sunday, which will help to melt away some of the snow in New York City and on Long Island. In the Mid-Hudson Region, the transition from snow will not be as clean as downstate, which will lead to a mix of precipitation types before the transition back to snow.

Safe Travel

During these storms, New Yorkers should also expect to see slippery road conditions, as well as blowing and drifting snow during the Thursday evening and Friday morning commutes, as well as over the course of the weekend. Drivers are being urged to travel only when necessary and to do so with extreme caution.