Norwalk Mayor Richard Moccia today urged commuters to do their part dealing with the congestion problems associated with the MetroNorth difficulties as MetroNorth directs all available resources to making repairs that will allow a return to normal commuter train schedules. "Along with police, fire and emergency management personnel, my office remains in contact with MetroNorth which is providing appropriate information updates regarding the situation," said Mayor Moccia. "I am convinced that everything possible is being done to get things fixed and back to normal."

The Mayor continued, "While the disruption remains in place I urge all drivers to do their part in trying to limit vehicular traffic along all roadways. It is essential that police, fire and emergency vehicles retain reasonable means to respond quickly to any situation. Drivers can help by staying off the roads when possible, carpooling to their jobs and simply avoiding highway travel during peak hours."

The Mayor noted that regional and commercial traffic is being urged to utilize the Interstate 84 corridor rather than Route 95 or the Merritt Parkway.

An update on the service disruption was provided today by the Connecticut Region 1 office of the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. MetroNorth and Public Safety personnel reported on the call that highway and train traffic levels have been crowded but have not produced gridlock. Corporations were praised for their appropriate response to the interruption of service.

MetroNorth and ConEdison personnel will continue to work through the weekend in an effort to beat early estimates of complete restoration.

Links to updates provided by MetroNorth may be accessed by a dedicated link at the City of Norwalk web site, www.norwalkct.org.

As the break in service continues, direct communication links between police departments in the region have set up to ensure coordinated response to any situation during the outage. State Police have placed extra patrols along major arteries to assure rapid response to any interruption of traffic flow.