(TNS) \u2014 The Ulster County Department of Motor Vehicles office will reopen Thursday after a statewide computer upgrade forced a closure earlier this month, according to County Clerk Taylor Bruck.<\/p>\n
Bruck said on Wednesday that the DMV, located at the Ulster County Office building on Fair Street, will open from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe system update has gone smoothly and we expect to be fully functional and back to normal,\u201d Bruck said in an email when asked for comment. \u201cI would just urge patience for the next few weeks when they come in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re operating in an entirely new system and I fully expect there to be hiccups while the staff gets used to the new system,\u201d Bruck added. \u201cWe\u2019re doing our best to familiarize ourselves with the new workflow. The staff is excited to learn and we\u2019re hopeful that going forward the new system is more efficient and seamless than the old one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bruck said that DMV-users can visit the webpage at clerk.ulstercountyny.gov\/countyclerk\/motor-vehicles<\/a> and make appointments.<\/p>\n The DMV mobile unit will also be back on the road, Burck said. It will be in Plattekill on Thursday and Shawangunk on Friday.<\/p>\n On Jan. 21, Burck had announced that all DMV offices in New York state would undergo a large-scale system upgrade, which required the offices to be closed.<\/p>\n The New York State DMV implemented the initial phase of a multi-year project to replace and modernize its aging technology systems, Bruck said in a news release.<\/p>\n To bring the first part of the new system online, the state ceased all DMV operations, including online transactions and the state DMV phone system, at 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13.<\/p>\n The Ulster County DMV at 244 Fair St. in Kingston and the DMV Mobile Unit have been closed since Friday.<\/p>\n During that period, the state DMV was expected to migrate approximately 30 million records to the new system and complete the transition necessary to bring the first phase of the upgrade online, a previous announcement said, adding that no DMV transactions of any kind would be able to be completed during this period, including in-person transactions, online services through the state DMV website, or by phone.<\/p>\n Bruck said the state DMV has contracted with software company FAST Enterprises, LLC, which has implemented similar systems in more than 20 other states, to help modernize its technology platforms and service delivery in two major stages over the next two years.<\/p>\n The new technology is tasked to replace and consolidate a significant portion of DMV\u2019s legacy systems, some of which are more than 50 years old, Bruck said. \u201cThe goal of this initiative is to make the DMV more secure, stable, and agile, while providing customers with more efficient, secure, and convenient service,\u201d Bruck has said.<\/p>\n For more information, email dmv@ulstercountyny.gov<\/a> or visit the New York State DMV website at https:\/\/dmv.ny.gov\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n