BUFFALO, N.Y. — On the New York State Thruway, there's a full commercial vehicle ban between Rochester and the Pennsylvania State Line, and the 219 was still shut down at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Those are two major routes the New York State Police oversee.
2 On Your Side's Heather Ly talked with state police on Wednesday about how they've redirected troopers to the areas hardest hit by the snow. They have specialized equipment at the ready — snowmobiles, UTVs, and ATVs.
RELATED ARTICLE: Travel bans and advisories put in place due to heavy snow
Despite those travel bans and travel restrictions, troopers are still patrolling those roads. Here's why.
"Obviously, so we can do search and rescue, and we can patrol those areas like the 219 being closed, it doesn't mean that someone isn't going to try something dumb, and how are we going to know they're up there?" James O'Callaghan, the Troop A public information officer, told 2 On Your Side.
"We'll send different patrol units, snowmobiles, and things like that to just frequent those areas, just in case someone is stuck or got in a collision."
He added: "The problem is whenever you see a wreck or some sort of collision or someone slides off the road, it really backs up traffic and the road crews can't clear up that area. It really creates a jam for people who need EMS, or maybe need something out of their residence or a true emergency. That's why these bans or restrictions are really put in place."