By TimesLedger staff
Queens prepared for the loss of all above ground subway service, including the No. 7, the J and the A, at 4 a.m. Tuesday as the winter storm bore down on the borough and the rest of the city.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted out the latest news on the MTA transit services after the mayor announced schools would be closed Tuesday amid predictions that between 11 and 17 inches could fall on the region.
The governor said all express service on MTA trains would end at midnight, while city bus service and the Long Island Rail Road service could be potentially be suspended as well as the above ground subways.
Earlier in the day Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference that no decision had been made yet on a travel ban, which was enacted last year during what turned out to be the city’s biggest snowfall on record.
There were reports of delays and cancellations at both LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports as the storm approached. It was expected to hit after midnight.
The MTA said Metro-North and the LIRR will have extra staff on hand with specialized equipment monitoring conditions before the storm hits.
The mayor said he was confident about the city’s ability to remove snow from the streets efficiently given its track record earlier this winter when smaller equipment was used to plow some of the narrower streets in parts of Queens.
Schools will be closed Tuesday, according to tweets from the city Department of Education. The DOE also announced that all after-school programs, adult education, YABC programs and PSAL programs would be cancelled as well, though DOE central and field offices were scheduled to remain open.
Asked about the homeless, de Blasio said the city’s Code Blue policy would extend full outreach to all the people living outdoors and most were expected to come in voluntarily.
The mayor said coastal flooding in areas remains a concern, but the biggest potential problem at this point appeared to be heavy snow and high winds, the definition of a classic blizzard.
