Commuters navigate public transit changes and suspensions due to extreme cold
The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry service has not run yet this week because ice is taking over the Hudson River and beginning to box in the ferry on the Newburgh side of the river.
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Transportation infrastructure across the mid-Hudson is bending — and in some cases, breaking — due to low temperatures.
Orange County commuters have been adjusting as ferry service is halted, bus service means waiting on cold benches, and water main breaks close roads.
The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry service has not run yet this week because ice is taking over the Hudson River and beginning to box in the ferry on the Newburgh side of the river.
Those who usually commute via the ferry can still catch buses across the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge on a schedule similar to that of the ferry.
Several Newburgh area residents told News 12 Tuesday they planned to stay away from Newburgh Area Transit Buses operated by Orange County and MTA trains, in case there are weather-related service delays.
"I don't use the bus," Newburgh resident Selman Clarke said. "If I'm going somewhere far, I catch the bus, but right in the town here, I just walk it."The snow forced a suspension of bus service in Newburgh on Monday.
Buses were running normally downtown, though ridership appeared to be less than usual.
Some commuters said that even though buses are running, they still find themselves spending long periods of time on cold benches waiting for buses.
Others said they plan to use their cars or take taxis this week to avoid the frostbite risk, though car travel has also become tricky.
Water main breaks have been shutting down roads in older Hudson Valley cities that have decades-old water infrastructure beneath their streets that have been springing leaks or breaking.
The Newburgh Water Department responded to a series of water main leaks early Tuesday morning, city workers said, none of which were minor and all of which were quickly repaired.
The weather posed challenges though for water department crews who had to break up the frozen dirt used to fill in a hole after a repair near DuPont Avenue.
Another reason not to drive aside from street closures, Newburgh resident Ernesto Rosado said, is that "I don't want to move my car."
The city's emergency parking restrictions were just lifted, allowing residents to return to parking their vehicles long-term on side streets.
Rosado said a parking spot in front of one's home in this weather is pretty much gold.
"If you move it, you're going to lose your spot and you're done," he laughed.
Local bus service should be running again Wednesday.
The Newburgh-Beacon ferry did not run Monday or Tuesday.
Two ferry commuters said they are planning to use alternate transportation between Newburgh and Beacon for the rest of the week, assuming continuing cold conditions will increase the ice on the Hudson River.
