Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Part of a major road in the Town of Olean will be closed starting Tuesday so crews can do culvert repair work. Route 16 between Union Valley Road and Fairview Avenue will be closed to all traffic in both directions for about two weeks, according to the New York State Department of Transportation. Northbound motorists will be detoured onto Interstate 86 at Exit 26 in Olean. Southbound motorists will be detoured onto I-86 at Exit 27 in the Town of Hinsdale. Local traffic will still be able to access destinations to the north and south of the closed portion of Route 16. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Issued By: NYS - DOT Route 219 is closed NB/SB between Snake Run Rd. and East Otto Rd in the Town of Ashford, Cattaraugus County, for up to 4 hours due to an accident at 1:15pm. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Fire damaged a Cattaraugus County home this morning and shut down part of Route 62 for several hours. The fire started at about 9:30 a.m. and heavily damaged the two-story house. Everyone was able to get out safely. The New York Department of Transportation originally said Route 62 from Route 241 to Flat Iron Road could be closed for up to six hours. It reopened at 12:40 p.m. Five fire companies battled the blaze. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has announced that the inspection of the former Route 219 (South Cascade-Miller Road) Bridge over Cattaraugus Creek in the town of Concord, Erie County, and the town of Ashford, Cattaraugus County, is scheduled to begin on September 30, 2013. Due to the limited access at the bridge site and size of the inspection equipment, it will be necessary to temporarily close the bridge for a period of time to facilitate a portion of the inspection. The bridge is scheduled to be closed on Monday, September 30 thru Friday, October 4, 2013 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The remainder of the bridge inspection will be done while the bridge is open, with traffic restricted to a single lane controlled by flaggers. Motorists are advised to follow the posted detour routes. Motorists are reminded that fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. In accordance with the Work Zone Safety Act of 2005, convictions of two or more speeding violations i...

Work on the Quaker Road Bridge (NY Route 280) over Interstate 86 is scheduled to start Thursday, and a detour will be in place. The New York Department of Transportation says Quaker Road and Exit 18 in the Town of Cold Spring will be closed to westbound traffic on I-86. The detour will direct traffic to continue to Exit 17 and follow the detour route from there. The DOT expects the road to be closed for about seven weeks. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Tomorrow is the busiest travel of the year, so to make sure you're prepared we're passing along some useful information. For real time flight on flights in the US and Canada, go to FlightView.com Traveling by road in Pennsylvania: http://511pa.com/ You can also follow 511pa on Twitter: http://twitter.com/511PAStatewide . You can pick a specific region as well. http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Internet/pdnews.nsf/centerTwitter?OpenPage Traveling by road in New York: http://www.511ny.org/ You can follow 511ny on Twitter, too: http://twitter.511ny.org/ The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Seneca Nation and New York State have resolved a dispute that has held up repairs to a portion of Interstate 86 that runs through Indian Territory. Under Monday's agreement, the Senecas will receive a 3 percent administrative fee on the $28.5 million Southern Tier Expressway repaving project. The nation wanted 3.5 percent, a fee amount it said had been built in to contracts involving work on nation territory since 1993 under the nation's Tribal Employment Rights Office rules. “The New York State Department of Transportation and the Seneca Nation of Indians agreed today to a framework to allow the start of much-needed rehabilitation work on the Southern Tier Expressway and other New York roads that pass through Seneca territory. The agreement, approved by the Seneca Council, means the contractor will deploy to the site as soon as feasible," said New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald in a news release. They will be working on an 11 ½ mile...

If the Seneca Nation and New York State can’t come to an agreement on how to proceed with roadwork on Interstate 86, the state will used the $47 million allocated for projects on the highway on other projects throughout the state. Back in May when Seneca President Robert Odawi Porter was informed that the state would not be following the 19-year-old agreement that allows the nation to monitor construction sites on their territory, he said the Nation would take on the project themselves if they had to. “We are here today to show that this is a priority project for the State of New York and for the Department of Transportation,” McDonald said in a news release following a news conference today in Evans. “DOT is prepared to immediately advance the I-86 project, which will rehabilitate and improve safety on this important highway while creating more than 450 jobs in the process. This project will benefit all residents – Seneca and non-Indian alike – as well as the motoring public. We need ...

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) today reminded that motorists attending the Nik Wallenda Event on June 15, 2012, in the city of Niagara Falls, Niagara County, should expect heavy traffic and limited parking in the downtown Niagara Falls area. Motorists attending the event should allow additional travel time due to increased traffic volumes, and arrive at the event as early as possible to avoid peak travel periods. Due to limited parking facilities, motorists may be required to use on street parking outside the downtown area. All travelers are advised to obey traffic control personnel and message signs when approaching and exiting the event, and use alternate routes when possible to avoid major delays. Drivers can expect congestion on Interstate 190 between the South Grand Island Bridge toll barrier and Exit 23 (US Route 62 - Niagara Falls Boulevard), and on the Robert Moses Parkway from Interstate 190 to downtown Niagara Falls. Motorists traveling to Canada f...

The Seneca Nation says if the New York State Department of Transportation isn’t going to follow the rules while repairing Interstate 86, they’ll take on the project themselves. Seneca President Robert Odawi Porter said during a news conference today that he was informed last week by New York State transportation officials that they would not be following the 19-year-old agreement that allows the nation to monitor construction sites and look out for their interests. The Nation’s Tribal Employment Rights Office rules have been followed on every other state project that crossed Seneca territory. Porter says if New York goes ahead with the project the state would be considered trespassers on Indian land. Porter has contacted the Federal Highway Administration to ask that the $28.5 million for the project be re-allocated from the state to the nation so a Seneca company can do the work. The Interstate 86 project calls for reconstruction of 11.5 miles from Exit 17 near Steamburg to Exit 20 in...

Work on the West Five Mile Road bridge over Interstate 86 in the Town of Allegany is scheduled to start Thursday. Interstate 86 near Exit 24 will have daily lane closures during the maintenance work, which is expected to take about two weeks. The New York State Department of Transportation says the work is weather sensitive, and may be delayed in the event of inclement weather. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The New York Department of Transportation says it will expedite repairs on the former Route 219 bridge over Cattaraugus Creek, and it should be ready for traffic again by early April. State Senator Cathy Young says the re-opening of the bridge will be a tremendous relief to residents and small businesses. The bridge has been closed since January 5. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Senator Cathy Young will be meeting on Monday with Governor Cuomo’s office and local state representatives to advocate for the old Route 219 bridge to be reopened quickly. The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) closed the old Route 219 Bridge Thursday afternoon, citing structural problems found during an inspection last week. The inspection, conducted as part of a plan to rehabilitate the 50-year-old bridge, revealed a seized bearing, which DOT officials said compromised the safety of the bridge. “The new development is disappointing, especially since we successfully pushed for an agreement to have the state fix the bridge and have each respective county maintain the approaches. The bridge and its future seemed to be secured before this happened,” Senator Young said. Senator Young, who represents the Cattaraugus County side of the bridge, decided with Senator Patrick Gallivan (R,C,I - 59th District), from Erie County, to call the meeting. Also invited are Senate Transpor...

SALAMANCA - “Replacing the Center Street bridge has been a four-year journey, and reopening the new structure to traffic marks a major victory,” said Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I-Olean). “The bridge is an essential connector that is depended upon by emergency vehicles, school buses and the traveling public. When it originally was shut down in 2008 due to dangerous structural deficiencies, it created significant access issues, especially since the West State Street bridge also was under construction. Traffic had to be diverted by several miles, causing disruptions, headaches and hardships,” Senator Young said. “We had to work diligently to secure funding for a temporary span, and to move up the construction timetable for the permanent bridge, which will feature aesthetically pleasing, state of the art design and enhanced quality of life improvements. The NYSDOT, Seneca Nation of Indians, and City of Salamanca worked cooperatively with Assemblyman Joe Giglio and I to ensure the bridge’...

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) today announced that Interstate 86 was re-opened to traffic at 1:30 p.m. between Exit 20 (Casino) and Exit 18 (NY Route 280, Allegany State Park, Quaker Run Area) in the towns of Red House and Cold Spring, Cattaraugus County and the Seneca Nation. Today’s re-opening is the result of NYSDOT accelerating the construction of a single, westbound, temporary lane to allow for continuous travel on westbound Interstate 86 while repairs continue on a slope failure that occurred on May 31, 2011. Both eastbound and westbound traffic on Interstate 86 are reduced to a single lane of traffic between Exit 20 and Exit 18. The eastbound lane will remain closed to provide a safe separation for eastbound and westbound traffic until the final repair to Interstate 86 westbound is completed. Motorists are reminded that fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. In accordance with the Work Zone safety Act of 2005, convictions of two or more...

News release from NYSDOT: The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) today announced revisions to the highway closure of westbound Interstate 86. Interstate 86 westbound is being closed this afternoon between Exit 20 (Casino), in the City of Salamanca, Cattaraugus County, and Exit 18 (NY Route 280, Allegany State Park, Quaker Run Area) in the Town of Cold Spring in Cattaraugus County and the Seneca Nation, due to a slope failure (crumbling of the road). The on ramps at Exits 21, 20 and 19 to westbound Interstate 86 are closed. A detour is posted at Exit 21 (Parkway Drive) for all thru traffic on westbound Interstate 86. Motorists wishing to travel beyond Exit 20 are advised to follow the westbound detour at Exit 21 utilizing northbound US Route 219, westbound NY Route 242, westbound NY Route 394 and West Main Street. Traffic will re-enter westbound Interstate 86 at Exit 16 in the Village of Randolph, Cattaraugus County. NYSDOT is currently constructing a temporary,...

The westbound lanes of Interstate 86 between the Allegany State Park Red House Area and the Quaker Run Area are currently closed, and the New York State Department of Transportation expects them to stay closed for about three month. The closure is due to a "slope failure," meaning part of the road is washed out. The westbound on ramp from Route 417 to westbound Interstate 86 is closed as well. Exit 20 and Exit 19 will remain open. A detour is posted at Exit 21 (Parkway Drive) for thru traffic on westbound Interstate 86.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has announced that construction is scheduled to resume on Interstate 86, in the towns of Randolph and Cold Spring, Cattaraugus County. As a result, several travel restrictions will go into effect. Beginning Monday, April 4, Interstate 86 between Exit 16 and Exit 17, in the town of Randolph, will be reduced to one lane in both the eastbound and westbound directions. These lane closures will be in effect for the duration of the construction season. Also, beginning Monday, April 4, the Interstate 86 bridge over Main Street, in the village of Randolph, will be closed in the westbound direction. Traffic will be directed to use Exit 16 (Main Street), and then re-enter Interstate 86 using the on-ramp at Main Street. A new temporary traffic signal will be installed at this intersection to direct all traffic. The bridge is expected to remain closed to westbound traffic for approximately three months. This work is weather sensitive ...

The New York State Department of Transportation has announced that NY Route 60 (Washington Street), from South Main Street to Forest Avenue, in the city of Jamestown, Chautauqua County, will be closed beginning on Monday, May 24, for highway reconstruction as a part of the Washington Street Bridge replacement project. The closure will be in effect for approximately 6 weeks. The existing posted detours around the Washington Street Bridge will still be in effect. Motorists are advised to use alternate local routes to detour around the work zone on Washington Street.

A Delevan man has been indicted for punching a state trooper and spitting in his face, and threatening department of transportation workers. 53-year-old Gene Tingue is charged with assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct for the incident that happened December 16 in the Town of Yorkshire. He’s also charged with harassment and disorderly conduct for throwing a snowball at a state snowplow, dumping snow on a highway, calling the department and threatening to “blow you away.” That incident happened December 15 in Yorkshire. Tingue is scheduled to appear in Cattaraugus County Court on May 17. DA's office