UTICA, N.Y. --- As a winter storm moves into our area, both local and state officials are stressing caution to drivers this weekend.
The Governor's office held a press conference at the State DOT headquarters in Utica outlining the resources that will be put to work.
City and county officials tell NEWSChannel 2 that they have been monitoring this storm's progress across the country and have made sure the proper resources have been put in place.
"Everybody's prepared. It's really a matter of just being cautious. Because what happens is when you haven't had an event like this, we did have some warmer temperatures, but especially with the lower temperatures, it can cause a lot of havoc," said Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente.
"At this point, we have 13 road routes within the city and up to 18 plows. The men are ready to go, they've done an outstanding job and we're on it," said Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri.
At the press conference, NYS DOT Commissioner Therese Dominguez said that the safety of the drivers on the road is her primary concern.
"We just want to make sure people are safe as they travel and we just wanna make sure they give enough space for the Paul truck drivers to actually do their job," said Dominguez.
Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri said that the city and the DPW will be monitoring the storm throughout the night and will make a decision on whether to declare a snow emergency by 11 pm on Saturday.