POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess Country Executive William O’Neil has rescinded the travel ban enacted on Monday that restricted road travel to emergency and essential vehicles. The restriction will be lifted as of 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening.
The ban was widely ignored and traffic was visible in Poughkeepsie throughout the storm. The Administrative Judge for the Ninth Judicial District ignored the Executive Order and kept the courts open in the county, including the City of Poughkeepsie Court at City Hall, which was closed. Keeping the courts open, rather than switching to virtual appearances like those in other counties, there was a substantial amount of unnecessary traffic in and around Poughkeepsie as people struggled to make it to court.
According to County Executive O’Neill, there will be no more travel restrictions as of 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
The county’s top official did recommend that motorists remain off of the roads until Wednesday morning due to wind gusts that have knocked down numerous trees and power lines throughout the county. Roads are expected to become icy as the temperature drops below freezing during the overnight hours of Tuesday.
County Executive O’Neil said, “We thank residents throughout Dutchess County for heeding our request to stay off the roads to allow our dedicated Department of Public Works crews to clear those roads. This has been a challenging storm, extending over a long period of time, and we thank residents for their patience and cooperation in helping crews keep our roadways passable.”
Dutchess County Government offices are scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, March 15th, operating under normal business hours.
Dutchess County Public Transit (DCPT) will resume normal weekday service on Wednesday, March 15th. For updates on service, bus passengers can visit dutchessny.gov/publictransit or the DCPT mobile app.
Crews from the Dutchess County Department of Public Works (DPW) have been ahead of the storm since its beginning – plowing, treating, and salting County roads since 1 a.m. Tuesday; those crews will continue to treat and salt County roads throughout Tuesday evening, as icy conditions are expected.
Residents can stay up-to-date on the County’s storm response online at dutchessny.gov or on the County’s social media pages on Facebook or Twitter.
