New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and MTA Bridges and Tunnels All Taking Steps to Keep Customers and Employees Safe

Ban on Empty Tractor Trailers and Tandem Trucks to Begin at Midnight on Select Bridges

Customers Should Check MTA Website and Twitter Feeds for Real Time Information Before Traveling

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced a series of safety measures will be instituted ahead of the start of Tropical Storm Elsa, which is expected to bring wind gusts and rain to the region beginning as soon as 2 a.m. Friday.

To keep customers and employees safe, MTA Bridges and Tunnels will ban empty tractor-trailers and tandem trucks beginning at midnight. The ban is expected to be in place until noon on Friday, July 9.

Additionally, pedestrian walkways on the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial bridges will be closed beginning at approximately 10 p.m. Thursday and will remain closed as conditions warrant. Pedestrian walkways on the Robert F. Kennedy and Henry Hudson Bridges will remain open, but may be closed at any time in the event facility management deems closure necessary.

Other MTA services are deploying additional personnel and prepositioning essential backup equipment across the system to make sure that any changes in track or road conditions can be addressed promptly in real time.

On Long Island, where the storm is forecast to be most pronounced in our region, the LIRR is pre-positioning crews and diesel locomotive to be in position to combat the storm and minimize service disruptions. The LIRR has worked aggressively to proactively protect infrastructure, tackling poor drainage locations, improving vegetation management adjacent to tracks and strengthening and replacing utility poles, among other actions. 

Elsewhere, Metro-North workers will continue to survey and clear drainage areas where necessary needed. Subway maintenance personnel will inspect track drains in flood-prone areas and check and stage track pumps and storm boxes prior to the storm's arrival. The Bus Command Center will deploy road satellites throughout the duration of the storm.

Customers are encouraged to check MTA.info for real time service information. Additional information will be available on each of the MTA-affiliated twitter handles, including @LIRR, @MetroNorth, @NYCTBus, and @NYCTSubway.