Planes, trains, automobiles: East back in business after blizzard
Airline traffic, public transportation and businesses were returning to normal across the East on Tuesday as the Blizzard of 2016 begrudgingly relinquished its icy grip on the battered region.
About 670 flights had been canceled nationwide as of 9:10 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. That number was down significantly from the 1,658 cancellations reported a day earlier and the 3,526 cancellations Sunday. Saturday was the worst day for fliers, with more than 4,500 cancellations across the nation.
Trains were running on time — almost. Amtrak said it was running nearly 80% of normal schedules for New York-Washington and nearly complete New York-Boston service.
The vast majority of interstates and major highways were clear, but neighborhood roads continued to be a problem as plows slowly made their way through snow more than 2-feet deep in some areas.
Public transit continued to improve. In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that all Long Island Railroad branches were operating. In Maryland, MTA said all transit modes – commuter and local bus, light rail, subway and trains — would be operating Tuesday, with service fully restored by week's end.
In Philadelphia, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority said it was adding lines and cars to its train routes, but warned "passengers can expect some overcrowding on trains and delays." Washington, D.C.'s metro system promised expanded bus and train service as it marched toward normal service.
Isaac Ehrlich, chair of the economics department at the University at Buffalo, said the storm might result in some economic positives as cleanup work boosts temporary employment. He should know — Buffalo ducked this storm but is no stranger to snow.
“Ironically, a storm like (this) can contribute to enhanced economic activity in the short term, due to cleanup and recovery services, enhanced construction work, replacement of lost stocks of capital and inventory," Ehrlich said.
True that in New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio was offering $13.50 per hour to anyone with a shovel.
Ehrlich said many businesses didn't have to deal with severe losses because the bulk of the storm and its fallout took place over a weekend.
Still, "transportation, commerce, retail trade, and the travel and leisure industry probably feel the major brunt of the storm in the short run," he said.