BUFFALO, N.Y. — A High Wind Warning has been issued for all of Western New York and in result a travel advisory has been issued by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) for tractor trailers and box trucks that plan on taking the Skyway.
The NYSDOT announced Saturday that tractor trailers and box trucks will be banned on NY Route 5 (the Skyway) from Interstate 190 to Ridge Road due to the impending weather.
On Saturday evening, Route 5 was closed between Camp Road and Route 75 in Hamburg due to flooding.
Then after 6 p.m., officials closed the Skyway in both directions, from Church Street in downtown Buffalo to Ridge Road in Lackawanna. It will reopen at 4 a.m. Sunday.
In Buffalo, the Department of Public Works said two intersections were closed due to flooding: Niagara Street and Tonawanda Street, as well as Hamburg Street and South Park Avenue, which reopened around 10 p.m.
In Dunkirk, Central Avenue from Millard Fillmore Avenue to Fairview Avenue was closed to all traffic until further notice, as was Lakefront Boulevard from North Main Street to North Serval Street.
Flooding on Niagara Scenic Parkway in both directions, around the LaSalle Expressway, also closed that road.
The ban officially went into effect at noon and will continue until further notice. The NYSDOT says weather conditions will continue to be monitored, and drivers should plan on using a different route.
In addition, an empty-truck ban is also in effect for the New York State Thruway. That ends at 4 a.m. Sunday.
Citing winds that could reach 70 mph, empty trucks and high-profile vehicles will be banned on the 90 between Exit 42 in Geneva and Exit 61, at Ripley and the Pennsylvania border. It also applies to the 190.
The ban across Western New York and the Finger Lakes regions will remain in place until further notice. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution when traveling, and to avoid any unnecessary travel.
In Buffalo, all city lakeside parks -- Erie Basin Marina, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, Broderick Park, and the Bird Island Pier -- will close starting at noon on Saturday. People are asked to delay non-essential travel while the high winds and flooding warnings are in effect.