Statement From Co-Deans of Wny Delegation

The Western New York Delegation roundtable discussion has been postponed until further notice due to officials at the N.Y.S. Thruway Authority declining an invitation to participate.  The Thruway Authority had previously confirmed its attendance. 

Senator Michael Ranzenhofer and Assemblyman Robin Schimminger, co-deans of the Western New York State Legislative Delegation, have issued the following statement:

“We are deeply disappointed that Thruway Authority officials have chosen not to participate in Friday’s roundtable discussion. It is so important to continually reassess storm response policies and evolve so that the proper protocols are in place.  Unfortunately, a thorough review cannot occur without involvement from the Thruway Authority.  For that reason, the roundtable discussion has been postponed.

We remain concerned that many motorists found themselves stranded on the Thruway for up to 30 hours in hazardous and even life-threatening conditions despite plans put in place after the December 2010 blizzard designed to prevent such occurrences.  We still have many questions about the Thruway Authority’s response to last November’s winter storm. We will not allow those questions to be left unanswered, and we look forward to hearing from the Authority’s new leadership team once it’s in place.”

The purpose of the roundtable is to update the entire delegation and observing public on how the incident management protocols developed to respond to weather-related and other traffic emergencies on major thoroughfares in the Buffalo Niagara region functioned during the unprecedented November winter storm.  The roundtable discussion had been previously scheduled for Friday, January 9, 2015, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., at Erie Community College South Campus.

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