Five Things: MTA and Road Updates, Internet Central & More

1. Metro-North Back on Track

MTA Service Advisory Update: Metro-North expects to resume regular weekday service on the Hudson Line, New Haven Line Main Line, and Lower Harlem Line Tuesday. Service suspensions will remain in effect on the Upper Harlem Line and New Haven Line Branches. Subway, bus and Staten Island Railway service is now running normally across the system with limited exceptions. Access-a-Ride and Able-Ride have resumed normal service. 

Sadly, for a lot of us that means back to work. See our complete post-Irene mass transit article .

2. County Roads and Parkways Beginning to Open Back Up

As of 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Westchester County reports the Bronx River Parkway is completely reopened (yes, even in Bronxville). The Hutchinson River Parkway is also open in both directions for the entire length of the parkway. On the Saw Mill River Parkway, however, some cleanup is still underway, and northbound and southbound lanes between Palmer Road and Route 119 are closed. The Saw Mill River Parkway is also closed between the Taconic State Parkway and Grant Street in Pleasantville. The southbound ramp to Rumsey Road is also closed on the Saw Mill River Parkway. For more road openings or stay tuned with Patch.

3. Power Outages Continue in Bronxville

As of Monday night, and although power outages around the Village have diminished since Sunday, Con Edison’s online power outage map shows close to 500 homes still without electricity. The majority of those homes are grouped in five areas of the Village without power, including near Durham Road off of Palmer (around 200 units), Garrett Place off of W. Ponfield Road (150 units), Sagamore Road (200+ units) and Avon Road (68 units). According to the online map, the “Estimated Restoration time” continues to be Sept. 1 11:59 p.m. More information on power outages in the Village can be found in Bronxville Chief of Police Christopher Satriale's Hurricane Alert from late Monday night.

In an effort to aid those customers without power, since Sunday, although due to overwhelming demand for dry ice all along the East Coast, supplies are extremely limited as of Monday night, officials say. The company will schedule further distribution if more dry ice becomes available. Stay tuned with Patch for more information on power outages and dry ice distributions.

Con Ed customers that do not have power and have not yet reported it to Consolidated Edison are urged to do so immediately at 1-800-75-CONED.

Also, and as we seek to move on from this weekend’s storm and its lingering effects, the Village of Tuckahoe shares these valuable post-storm safety tips, applicable to all residents in the area:

• Avoid fallen wires, if you notice downed power lines, contact appropriate utility.
• Report broken sewer or water lines to the appropriate utility.
• If your electricity shorts out because of damage to your home, turn off the power to decrease the chance of fire.
• Check for leaking gas lines by smell ONLY. If a line is leaking, open windows and doors, turn off main meter and leave the house. Notify utility company or police.
• Drive carefully. Watch for downed power lines, trees, debris and washed-out areas.
• Do not sightsee in disaster areas.

4. Speaking of Power Outages…

According to Director of the Laura Eckley, the library “is open and fully operational.” The library’s internet access and wireless connection is functioning well, and residents without power are invited to access their email, charge their wireless devices, use their restrooms and check out books. We even saw a tweet on Monday that referred to the library as “Internet Central.” The library is open from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, and will be showing the movie “Soul Surfer” at 3:30 p.m.

In other library news, the announced that it will be closed on Thursday Sept. 8 and Friday September 9 in order to undertake a new electrical power switchover. The library will re-open Saturday, September 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

5. More thanks go out to…

Our readers who continue to send us their pictures and videos of Irene, as well as update us on their power outage and flooding situations. If you have pictures, videos, or stories you haven’t shared with us yet, it is not too late -- drop us a word at ed.boulat@patch.com. While you are at it, check out this impressive web-album of Irene’s damages in Scarsdale, put together by Joanne Ratner. Also, check back with Bronxville-Eastchester Patch later today for a photo gallery of Irene's aftermath, which will include all of our readers' submissions.