Both directions of I-95 in Virginia have been closed for hours, stranding motorists.

/ Virginia Department of Transportation via AP

Hundreds and possibly thousands of drivers were stuck on I-95 between Fredericksburg and the Capital Beltway overnight from Monday afternoon into Tuesday afternoon, after a snowstorm and icy road conditions left the interstate closed and backed up for miles. Motorists, stranded in freezing temperatures on the north and southbound sides of I-95 for nearly 24 hours, posted calls for help on social media and waited for any signs of assistance. Apparently, no one has been injured, but plenty of people had awful experiences.

At 5:15 p.m., the Virginia Department of Transportation’ Fredericksburg District tweeted, “There are no people stranded still on I-95. Less than 20 vehicles left to be removed from the interstate before plow trains will come through to remove snow and ice from the travel lanes.” Despite that, Virginia State Police urged drivers to stay away from the road as it is expected to re-freeze tonight.

Screenshot of the road closures and back ups on I-95 as of Tuesday afternoon.

The 24-hour-long saga encompassed a 40-plus-mile standstill between Ruther Glen, Va., in Caroline County, and exit 152 near Dumfries in Prince William County, according to VDOT.

Officials insist they did all they could to prepare for the storm, but drivers are still saying they could’ve had better communication and closed the road earlier.

Gov. Ralph Northam said it was one of the largest snowstorms in a long time and that rain, followed by slush, snow, and an overnight freeze created “the perfect storm.”

Around 5 a.m. Tuesday, VDOT tweeted that snowplows and tow trucks were on the scene, and urged drivers to avoid the area until the traffic cleared. “Crews will start taking people off at any available interchange,” the agency said. Crews also made some deliveries of food, water, and gas to some motorists.

On a media call Tuesday morning, VDOT Fredericksburg District Engineer Marcie Parker said the department was as prepared as it could be prior to this storm. She said rain the night before would’ve washed away and negated the effect of salt brine and the snow falling at a rate of one to two inches an hour for five to six hours was more than anticipated. The area got 12-14 inches of snow in total.

“We have a hard time keeping up with an inch-plus an hour for multiple hours,” Parker said. “We can’t move trucks fast enough to keep snow off the road.”

Officials say they didn’t shut down the interstate ahead of time because they didn’t know how fast the snow was going to come down. Traffic was moving slowly until 5 p.m. Monday despite some crashes. By midnight, traffic had come to a crawl and then a standstill, said VDOT Commissioner Stephen Birch.  It wasn’t until 4 a.m. Tuesday, nearly 12 hours after the problems started, that they had every on-ramp shut down.

As conditions got more slippery, semis jackknifed and cars began to slide off the roads and into each other. Some cars ran out of gas. Some drivers left their vehicles and continued on foot. Drivers complained that information was scarce.  The State Police said they talked to many media outlets and posted on social media asking people to stay home and avoid the roads. Virginia Department of Emergency Management officials said no local authority requested help from the National Guard.

Emergency crews in Prince William County responded to 10 calls from motorists on Tuesday, with concerns about hypothermia, diabetes, and lack of food, said Matt Smolsky, assistant fire chief. None of the cases were life-threatening, but four patients were transported.

Andrew Stein of D.C. was driving back from South Carolina when he hit the jam north of Fredericksburg around 7:30 p.m. Monday. The trip usually takes about eight hours — he said he expected this one to take more than 24 hours. Stein got off I-95 last night in hopes of finding better luck on Route 1, only to run into more backups. This time he knew he’d be sleeping in his car.

“I think I’ve gone through the five stages of grief,” Stein told DCist/WAMU from his car somewhere near Aquia Harbor around 10:30 a.m. “I think I’m now at acceptance but getting a little worried because I’m low on gas.”

A nearby hotel that he found had no vacancies but allowed motorists to hang out in the lobby and eat some of the breakfast foods on hand. Stein said power outages were affecting gas stations, causing even more problems. He wished the state interstate messaging signs and mapping apps were more proactive in telling drivers to turn around before Fredericksburg.

“It’s an information problem,” Stein said. “I didn’t know what I was running into.”

Other drivers expressed frustration on social media: NBC News’ Josh Lederman posted a harrowing account of being stuck for 11 hours with his dog, melting ice for his dog to drink, and turning the car on and off to generate heat and conserve gas. Others posted about seeing families stuck, and truck drivers messaged that they’d be willing to share their emergency resources with other drivers.

Virginia senator Tim Kaine was among those stranded. “I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol,” he tweeted just before 8:30 a.m.

Kaine said a family from Connecticut who was driving north from Florida handed out oranges to stranded drivers.

When it was over, Kaine told  told NPR  he had been stranded for 26 hours and 45 minutes.  “It was pretty grim,” he said. “I had enough gas in the tank and I had a warm coat, but some didn’t. And some were in cars packed with kids, some had seniors and some had pets and somebody had medical issues.”

Gov. Ralph Northam said that his team worked through the night with VDOT and state police to respond to the situation.

“State and local emergency personnel are continuing to clear downed trees, assist disabled vehicles, and re-route drivers,” Northam tweeted. “An emergency message is going to all stranded drivers connecting them to support, and the state is working with localities to open warming shelters as needed. While sunlight is expected to help @VaDOT clear the road, all Virginians should continue to avoid 1-95.”

By 9 a.m., traffic began moving forward slowly, according to AP News. Many drivers are still stuck and can even be seen walking along snow-covered traffic lanes.

VDOT officials apologized to drivers left out in the cold.

“We really understand that people face very stressful, scary situations,” VDOT spokesperson Kelly Hannon said. “And we do apologize and we’ll be taking an exhaustive look at this incident.”

 

This story has been updated with additional information and quotes from drivers.

Filed Under: Gov. Ralph Northam, I-95, snowstorm, tim kaine, VDOT, virginia traffic,