As the entire East Coast of the U.S. braces for big, bad hurricane Irene, which could turn out to be one of the worst storms to hit the region in years, the Governor of New York City, Andrew M. Cuomo, declared today that all subways, commuter trains and buses would stop running at noon on Saturday, August 27.
In addition, the Governor said that if sustained wind surpasses the 60mph (96km/h) mark, all bridges around New York City as well as five Hudson River bridges, the New York State Thruway and possibly other major highways would be closed to all traffic.
On Governor Cuomo’s orders, the following actions are being implemented immediately:
- The New York Army and Air National Guard will deploy up to 900 soldiers and airmen and over 100 vehicles to support civil authorities; those troops have already begun to report
- The Metropolitan Transit Authority will institute a system-wide shut-down when trains and buses begin their final runs starting at approximately noon on Saturday; the shut-down will include subways, buses, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, and Access-A-Ride
- If sustained wind speeds exceed 60 mph, all of the following bridges will be closed to all traffic: George Washington Bridge, Tappan Zee bridge, all bridges operated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, and the following Hudson River bridges: Bear Mountain Bridge, Newburgh-Beacon, Mid-Hudson (Poughkeepsie), Kingston-Rhinecliff, and Rip Van Winkle (Catskill)
- The New York State Thruway and possibly other major highways will also be closed if sustained wind speeds exceed 60 mph; further closings will be announced as the storm progresses
- LIPA will have 2,500 line workers and tree trim personnel available throughout the weekend for emergency repair work, its largest emergency roster ever
- 175 extra ambulances and personnel will be deployed in regions expected to be hit the hardest by the storm