A severe snowstorm left drivers stuck on a 48-mile stretch of the I-95 highway in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area for over 15 hours, NBC Washington reports.
The extreme delays were the result of a storm-induced crash involving multiple trucks. Motorists have been stranded since Monday and had to sleep in their cars overnight, while many drivers ran out of gas and didn’t have food or water. Others have medical conditions or were traveling with kids and pets in the car.
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine found himself stuck in the traffic jam. “I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday,” he tweeted. “19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol. My office is in touch with @VaDOT to see how we can help other Virginians in this situation. Please stay safe everyone.”
The highway was still in gridlock at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. The Virginia Department of Transportation’s plan is to direct the stuck vehicles through alternate routes. VDOT spokesperson Kelly Hannon addressed the situation, saying, “We are getting to people as soon as we can. We understand the severity of the situation.”
Both directions of the I-95 have been closed, with the area getting 14.1 inches of snow on Monday. According to Virginia State Police, shuttering such a long stretch of highway will help crews aid the marooned drivers. So far, few injuries and zero deaths have been reported.
“In addition to clearing the trucks, we are treating for snow and several inches of ice that has accumulated around them to ensure that when the lanes reopen, motorists can safely proceed to their destination,” VDOT Fredericksburg District Engineer Marcie Parker said.
An NBC correspondent, Josh Lederman, was also stranded in the traffic and shared his experience on Twitter, writing early Tuesday morning, “The interstate is absolutely littered with disabled vehicles. Not just cars. Semis, everything. Nobody can move. People are running out of gas or abandoning vehicles.”
According to The New York Times, Monday’s snowstorm ended in the deaths of at least five people. Some places in Virginia saw over 15 inches of snow and over 280,000 residents had no power. There were also power outages in Maryland, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
