Gas lines form in Greenwich amid shortages in NY

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Lines formed Friday at gas stations near Interstate 95 in southwestern Connecticut as storm-related shortages in the New York area sent motorists across state lines in search of fuel.

In Greenwich, the first town across the New York state line, police said out-of-town drivers were contributing to traffic snarls and urged them to continue a few miles up the shoreline where gasoline was widely available.

Matt Waxmonsky, 27, drove an hour to Connecticut from his home in Lincoln Park, N.J., with five gas containers. At a station in Stamford, he found a line that snaked through several streets, but he said it was still worth the drive considering the lines he saw in New Jersey.

"It's way better than waiting five hours and then getting turned away," said Waxmonsky, a facilities technician.

Greenwich police Lt. Kraig Gray urged motorists to continue on to other shoreline communities such as Darien or Norwalk.

"Unfortunately, this has significantly increased the amount of traffic and use of service stations, which is making it difficult for everybody," Gray said.

The fuel shortages in the New York metro area have hindered efforts to recover four days after Superstorm Sandy. At one gas station in Brooklyn, a line stretched at least 10 blocks through narrow and busy streets.

Mike Cano, who lives in Stamford, said he was surprised he had to wait half an hour for gas considering how much harder other areas were hit by Sandy.

"I thought we didn't get hit that hard in Stamford," he said.