Westbound LIE ramps, lanes reopen after car fire, officials say

A car fire on the westbound Long Island Expressway in Plainview added to the weather woes plaguing the morning commute Tuesday, backing up traffic for about an hour, according to police and the state Department of Transportation.

An alert on the DOT website informny.com said the fire, which affected traffic and the exit ramps at Exit 43A, Robbins Lane, and Exit 42, the connector to the Northern State Parkway, had been cleared at 7 a.m.

The DOT previously said the right and center lanes were closed in the area at 5:53 a.m.

A scan of the website traffic cameras during the incident showed traffic backed up for several exits.

Traffic already was being slowed by an accumulating snowfall. Up to about 3 to 5 inches of snow was expected through the morning commute, the National Weather Service said early Tuesday.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”