'Unprecedented': Winter storm strands drivers on Virginia hwy 19+ hours
Snow, ice, and cold temperatures combined to create treacherous conditions in parts of Virginia.
An 80-kilometre stretch of Interstate 95 in eastern Virginia became undrivable due to a series of disabled trucks and a severe winter storm, leaving some motorists stranded in their cars for more than 19 hours amid below-freezing temperatures CNN reports.
"I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1 p.m. yesterday," Virginia senator Tim Kaine posted on Twitter Tuesday.
"[Nineteen] hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol."
The storm dropped more than 30 cm of snow in Virginia's Fredericksburg area, knocking out power to more than 400,000 customers.
Local and state emergency responders have been on the scene responding to disabled vehicles, removing debris from the road, and rerouting cars.
"We know many travelers have been stuck on Interstate 95 in our region for extraordinary periods of time over the past 24 hours, in some cases since Monday morning. This is unprecedented, and we continue to steadily move stopped trucks to make progress toward restoring lanes," Marcie Parker, P.E. VDOT Fredericksburg District Engineer, said in a statement.
"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."
Officials are still working to direct traffic onto alternate routes, warning of "significant congestion" on those roadways.
