Wednesday Headlines: Rain Rain Go Away Edition
The New York City metropolitan area braced for flooding due to heavy rainfall that was expected to exceed the city’s sewer capacity. But what did that mean for commuters heading back toward the Hudson Valley and Long Island?
Evidently not a ton. Your humble Albany bureau chief had time to grab Shake Shack and a beer before returning home safely via the Metro-North’s Hudson Line. This was likely down to the MTA’s preparation and fear of viral flood damage.
There were crews and a diesel locomotive pre-positioned along Metro-North and LIRR lines to identify and address electrical issues and infrastructure damage, according to the MTA.
“When the torrential rainfall is frequently accompanied by high winds, and it knocks down a tree and it gets on a track,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber told reporters yesterday. “You have the chainsaws and the trains that move debris ready to go, and we also prepare aggressively to make sure that the MTA facilities don’t fill up with water.”
Better to prepare for chaos than to see a parking lot washed away.
Elsewhere in the Empire State:
- I-690 East will close for two years starting in 2027 as part of a reworked high system that removes the I-81 viaduct. (Syracuse.com)
- The MTA lost track of it’s recylcling and the lapse cost taxpayers more than $800,000. (The Daily News)
- Albany lawmakers are wondering about pay raises as new outside income limits kick in and their colleagues in New York City government consider their own salaries. (The New York Post)
- Carmel is seeking millions in state grants, part of which can be used for walkways. (Mid Hudson News)
- Doctors are sounding the alarm over unsafe e-bike usage among teens. (The Times Union)
- A pedestrian was injured after being struck by a car in Waterloo. (Finger Lakes Daily News)
- Contractors who handle public works and even those who install pools are bracing for more Canadian tariffs. (State of Politics)
- Traffic and parking limitations on Buffalo’s Chippewa Street are here to stay as the Common Council eyes an age minimum to enter the entertainment district. (BTPM)
- Albany’s financial woes are not over. (WAMC)
- A suspect in a fatal DWI crash on Long Island has had their bail revoked. (Newsday)
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