Fast-falling snow wreaks havoc on local major highways

Heavy and fast-falling snow blanketed Oneida County Tuesday morning, leading to slick pavement on local major highways and multiple motor vehicle accidents.

A section of Route 49 in the Town of Marcy was closed for several hours Tuesday morning as vehicles went off the road. The initial crash occurred shortly after 9 a.m. and the highway was closed off starting at the Cavanaugh Road exit. The accident was cleared and eventually reopened around noon.

The Rome Fire Department had multiple calls for vehicles off the road around the city Tuesday morning.

“They couldn’t stop,” explained Rome Deputy Fire Chief Timothy Reilly. Rome had calls on routes 49 and 365.

Reilly said there were “no major injuries” from the vehicles off the roads in Rome.

There were also accidents reported in New Hartford, Vienna, Utica, Floyd and elsewhere throughout the morning.

Reilly said part of the problem was that the snowfall didn’t start until around dawn, which meant the snowplows had yet to fully cover the area.

“Give the plow drivers room to do their jobs,” Reilly warned drivers.

According to the forecast from the National Weather Service, snow and rain are expected to continue this week.

“Use caution and give yourself some extra time to get where you’ve got to go,” Reilly stated.