In a brief press conference from the Capital this morning, Governor Dannel P. Malloy thanked residents for staying off the roads since a travel ban went into effect last night, and promptly lifted that restriction in western Connecticut.

The governor appeared relieved to report only 11 crashes had occurred with just one injury since 9 pm Monday evening.

Noting that the western part of Connecticut received less snow than forecasted, he then lifted the imposed travel ban, "for local roads and local travel in Fairfield and Litchfield counties."

The ban remains in place for the rest of the state until further notice, the governor said in a pre-meeting release.

"We are working to get residents back on the road as soon as possible," Governor Malloy said in the release. "Residents in Fairfield and Litchfield counties may travel locally if necessary, but those in the rest of the state - especially in eastern Connecticut - are encouraged to remain in their homes."

"Certain parts of the state received less than the projections," Gov Malloy said this morning, adding that eastern Connecticut along the Interstate 395 corridor "is getting the worst."

Newtown Police similarly reported that local roads are in passable condition, but Sergeant Jeffrey Silver is recommending residents restrict local travel to only what is necessary.

"We still need to get rid of some of the ice underneath," he said.

A contact at the Newtown Highway Department echoed that caution, saying while plows have been working to keep snow cleared, high winds continue to blow drifts back onto roadways.

Highway Supervisor Joe Tani said many local roads still have some snow cover with an undercoating of slick ice.

He said, however, that crews put down melting material ahead of the storm yesterday, so once falling and blowing snow stops, it will make it easier to melt any remaining hardpack down to the road surfaces.

During his press conference, Gov Malloy said while coastal winds continue, a coastal flood watch has also been lifted. He indicated there were no United Illuminating electrical power outages, and very few pockets of outages being reported by CL&P.

At 9:45 am Tuesday, CL&P was reporting only 43 outages system-wide, and none in Newtown.

No other injuries/fatalities related to the storm so far have come to Gov Malloy's attention, and he said DOT crews will continue their work, possibly shifting some resources to the state's eastern counties.

Responding to a reporter's observation about the lower than expected snowfall totals, the governor replied, "You dodged a bullet. It's not good news for folks that have two feet of snow on their front lawn."

He reiterated that most communities along the I-395 corridor, "generally got two feet or more."

In discussions with Metro North regarding commuter train service, the governor noted that the rail operator pulled all its trains out of service last night because of mechanical concerns. Gov Malloy said trains may not be running again in the state until overhead catenary systems are inspected.

He also asked municipal residents to clear fire hydrants so responders could easily access them in case of an emergency. The governor is planning an update at noon, Wednesday, check back for updates.

This report has been updated with additional information from the Governor's office.