
Blizzard Blasts New York Travel
Updated from 12:55 p.m. EST
NEW YORK (
) -- A blizzard on the East Coast forced the closure of New York-area airports for much of Monday, and as many as 7,000 flights in the area have been canceled, according to reports. Other modes of transportation also felt the brunt of the major snow storm.
The Federal Aviation Administration was showing the three major New York-area airports -- John F Kennedy International, La Guardia and Newark Liberty International --
as being open as of 8:00 p.m. EST.
A smaller airport in Teterboro, NJ remains closed with the expectation that it would re-open at 8:00 a.m. EST on Tuesday.
Dentist Will DeBonis of New York cross-country skis along a nearly deserted Central Park West as he tries to get to his practice Monday. |
The Metropolitan Transit Authority, which operates the New York City subway system and regional railroads, on its Web site urged commuters to stay home earlier on Monday, and it continued to brace commuters for rough conditions in its latest information update.
"High winds, major snow drifts and some streets that are still too difficult for buses to navigate continue to impact service across the MTA regional transportation network. We are working around the clock to restore full service, but will only do so when it is safe for our customers and our employees."
The MTA was
it expects its Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines to run on a Saturday schedule on Tuesday as it continues to recover from the storm. The majority of the service on the Long Island Rail Road was shown as still suspended as well.
"There continue to be major delays and in some cases suspensions in service across our transportation network that may continue through the evening and overnight hours on the Long Island Rail Road, and NYC Subway system. Some subway service has been restored. However, service on the Staten Island Railway remains suspended," the MTA continued.
New Jersey Transit was also saying late Monday that it expects rail service to operate on an "enhanced" weekend schedule on Tuesday. It expects bus service to restored at midnight but warned that bus travelers should expect "possible delays based on road conditions and allow for extra travel time."
Many streets in Manhattan were buffeted by snow, with many sidewalks unpassable unless one ventured in boots.
Seastreak, which provides high-speed ferry service from the Jersey Shore to Wall Street and midtown Manhattan, canceled all service on Monday but was indicating it would be back up and running on Tuesday morning on its Web site.
As much as 20 inches of snow fell in some areas of New York and in surrounding suburbs. It was reported that 29 inches of snow fell in Lyndhurst, N.J.
American Airlines, a unit of
AMR
(AMR)
, canceled more than 400 flights on both Sunday and Monday, according to various reports, while
US Airways
(LCC)
canceled even more.
-- Written by Joseph Woelfel
>To contact the writer of this article, click here:
Joseph Woelfel
>To submit a news tip, send an email to:
.









