RI Travel Ban in Place Until Conditions "Vastly Improve"

The statewide travel ban in Rhode Island will remain in place for the time being and Governor Gina Raimondo said she won’t consider lifting it until conditions “vastly improve.”

Raimondo addressed the media at about 11:45 a.m. as whiteout conditions and heavy snowfall continued to paralyze the Ocean State, saying “the highways are not really passable.”

“The message will continue to be. . .the travel ban is in effect and we won’t even think about lifting it until we see conditions improving,” the Governor said.

Raimondo said that she rode along with state Department of Transportation crews earlier this morning and while they’ve done an admirable job to stay on top of the blizzard, conditions are still awful and everyone should stay put for the rest of the day to give plows room to clear the streets.

The governor extended the state government shutdown until 10 p.m. Tuesday and said that it could be pushed back into tomorrow if conditions remain bad later tonight.

An additional 6 inches or more could fall on the state, which woke up to a foot of snow and has watches snowfall totals break 20 inches in most places, give or take an inch or two.

Raimondo also noted that it will be extremely cold tonight with temperatures in the single digits and wind chills making it feel as cold as 15 below.

The DOT will have more than 400 vehicles out working through the night and they’ll be working alongside hundreds of municipal crews and contractors in a massive digging-out effort.