Ice and snow stranded hundreds of drivers on Interstate 95 in Virginia into Tuesday after a winter storm pounded several Eastern states and dumped more …
Ice and snow stranded hundreds of drivers on Interstate 95 in Virginia into Tuesday after a winter storm pounded several Eastern states and dumped more than a foot of snow in some places. The storm brought havoc to roadways, left more than 300,000 without power in Virginia and Maryland and caused at least five deaths across three states. No injuries or fatalities from the storm or the traffic backup were reported in Virginia. Problems began Monday morning when a truck jackknifed on Interstate 95, the main north-south highway along the East Coast, triggering a swift chain reaction as other vehicles lost control, state police said. On a roughly 50-mile stretch of I-95 near Fredericksburg, drivers were stuck in their cars overnight while ice blanketed the freeway. The Virginia Department of Transportation tweeted Tuesday that the stretch of the interstate remained closed. At a midday news conference, officials didn’t say how many miles of backup remained or how many cars were still stuck. Transportation Department engineer Marcie Parker said the agency expected to finish clearing the interstate by Tuesday night, so it would be open for the Wednesday morning rush hour. On social media, people shared their experiences about running out of fuel, food and water as they sat for hours without moving. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Tuesday morning he remained in the standstill for 19 hours on his way to Washington. Others said drivers got out of their cars and were worried about food. Josh Lederman, a reporter with NBC News, tweeted that he was stuck in his car overnight and many motorists turned off their cars to conserve gas. “People (myself included) are taking exercise breaks outside their cars, walking their dogs on the interstate. I’ve been putting snow in his bowl and letting it melt into water,” he tweeted, detailing the ordeal.
