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Commuters: Highway Alert

Authorities across NY are watching for icej ams like this one.
WAMC file photo

If you’re heading west of the Capital Region, a 15-mile southbound stretch of Interstate 81 north of Syracuse is closed.

The state Department of Transportation says southbound lanes are closed this afternoon between Exit 43 in the Jefferson County town of Adams and Exit 38 near the border of Jefferson and Oswego counties. Southbound traffic is being detoured off the highway at Exit 43 and directed to Route 11 south to re-enter I-81 at Exit 38.

Local media report the closure is caused by ice to accumulating under the highway bridge over Sandy Creek in Ellisburg.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.