Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says the Connecticut's highways are cleared and back in business following a winter storm that blanketed Connecticut with up to a foot and a half of snow.
Malloy said Thursday that a temporary ban on tractor-trailer trucks made it easier for the plows to clear the highways.
He said it was difficult to get the truckers already on the highways off the roads, but the state stopped others from getting on the highways. The ban was lifted at 10 a.m.
City bus service, halted because of the storm, was mostly up and running by 11:30 a.m. Malloy says some cities were able to run buses as early as 8:30 a.m.
The governor said it was wise to temporarily cancel the buses to prevent further traffic tie-ups.
In addition, MetroNorth has resumed trains from New York into Connecticut along the New Haven line, but the system was operating on a more limited Sunday schedule, and some trains out of New Haven will not operate. Spokeswoman Margie Anders says about 18 inches of snow have inundated switches, which had to be dug out from the snow by hand.
Many schools in the Hudson Valley delayed the start of classes as crews clear roads after the storm dumped up to 8 inches of snow on the region.
Schools in Sullivan, Orange, Dutchess and Ulster counties started classes an hour or two later than usual Thursday morning as the storm wound down.
AccuWeather says 4 to 8 inches of snow fell in parts of Dutchess County.
The Thruway Authority also banned all tandem tractor-trailers between Newburgh and New York City, which has received 15 inches of snow. Tandems headed for the city must get off at Interstate 87's Exit 17 at Newburgh. The restrictions began around 6 p.m. Wednesday.
You know it's bad when you have to use the shovel on the car.
Dennis Nolan left his parked near the Larchmont train station Wednesday night and walked home because it was too snow covered then.
It's been that kind of day during this kind of winter.
The snow ended early enough for crews to clear most roadways by Thursday afternoon.
The Hutchinson River Parkway was mostly clear at 3 p.m., but at 3 a.m. it was another story.
Several inches of snow covered the highway.
Even emergency vehicles got stuck because driving uphill was next to impossible.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
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