Both sides of I-95 south of D.C. still blocked after snowstorm; drivers stranded overnight - The Washington Post

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Both sides of Interstate 95 in Virginia’s Fredericksburg area have been shut down overnight into Tuesday, creating a standstill of cars and trucks that stretched 48 miles south of D.C. along one of the busiest highways in the country and leaving people stuck for nearly 20 hours in their vehicles without food and water.

Transportation officials said there were multiple crashes, some of them involving jackknifed tractor-trailers on the highway.

The mess along I-95 is the result of a winter storm on Monday that walloped the D.C. region and parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern U.S., triggering power outages and resulting in the closure of government agencies, schools and coronavirus testing centers. Some areas in the D.C. region saw up to 12 inches of snowfall.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said on Twitter that the state was trying to connect stranded drivers with support and was “working with localities to open a warming shelter for passengers.”

“State and local emergency personnel are continuing to clear downed trees, assist disabled vehicles, and re-route drivers,” he tweeted. “While sunlight is expected to help VDOT treat and clear roads, all Virginians must continue to avoid the interstate and follow directions of emergency personnel.”

On social media, people shared their stories of being trapped on the highway, including families with kids, while one person pleaded for help after being stuck more than 18 hours without his insulin.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) tweeted Tuesday morning that he had been stuck in the traffic since Monday afternoon: “I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol.”

Josh Lederman, a correspondent for NBC, said on a TV news report Tuesday morning from his vehicle that he had been stuck overnight with his dog on the highway overnight as they tried to get back to Washington. He said traffic stopped around 8 p.m. near Stafford and he had barely moved since then.

“Once it got to be 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., I realized we were going to be here all night long,” he said. He had some food for his dog and only a few granola bars and gum for himself.

Drivers were turning off their cars overnight to conserve gas, he said. And some got out to get snow in containers, hoping it would melt so they’d have some water for kids and pets. Other stranded drivers got out to walk their dogs along the highway’s shoulder.

“It’s 26 degrees and there’s no way anyone can get to you,” Lederman said. He said people were scrolling through social media, trying to get information on the backup, but it was a “mystery of how long it was going to last.”

Just before 7 a.m. on Tuesday, he said traffic along the northbound side of the highway where he had been stuck overnight slowly started to move but the southbound side was shutdown for “miles and miles” as “people were still waiting in their cars.”

Susan Phalen wrote on Twitter at 7:22 a.m. Tuesday morning that she had been stuck for 11 hours on I-95 near Stafford: “still haven’t moved an inch.” Phalen said the northbound side was “still gridlock” and the southbound side was “moving, barely, a few cars at a time.”

Virginia highway officials said they were trying to get vehicles to nearby exits and clear the area but gave no time as to when the highway would reopen. The highway is closed between Exit 152 at Dumfries Road and exit 104 between Carmel Church, according to Virginia Department of Transportation.

Crews are also treating the highway and trying to clear off ice that refroze overnight in the cold temperatures. The Fredericksburg area got around 12 inches of snow Monday, and officials gave no exact time for when the highway would reopen.

“This is unprecedented, and we continue to steadily move stopped trucks to make progress toward restoring lanes,” said Marcie Parker, a district engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Anne Gould told NBC 4 that she and her husband were stuck on the highway overnight as they tried to drive Monday from Philadelphia to Florida.

“It’s like being stuck on an airplane that you can’t get off,” she said. “Cars and trucks are just stopped in front of me and behind me.”

“Never would I have believed it would have gone this long.”

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Both sides of I-95 south of D.C. still blocked after snowstorm; drivers stranded overnight - The Washington Post
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