I-95 Shutdown: 1 year since major snowstorm caused 18+ hours of gridlock in Virginia
The incident began with a major crash involving several tractor-trailers in the afternoon of Jan. 3, 2022. Traffic along a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 95 came to a standstill shortly after centered around the Fredericksburg area.
Truck driver details being stranded for 10+ hours on I-95 in Virginia
Truck driver details being stranded for 10+ hours on I-95 in Virginia.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - Wednesday marks one year since the beginning of a more than 18-hour-long shutdown of Interstate 95 in Virginia that left drivers stranded, a majority of them spending the night in their cars, due to a major snowstorm.
What happened?
The incident began with a major crash involving several tractor-trailers on the afternoon of Jan. 3, 2022. Traffic along a 50-mile stretch of I-95 came to a standstill shortly after in the Fredericksburg area.
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Between 7 and 11 inches of snow accumulated in the area on Jan. 3, with much of it freezing as the sun went down. As of 3:30 p.m. that day, Virginia State Police said troopers had responded to more than 2,000 calls for service due to hazardous road conditions.
'I'm running out of gas': Driver stranded on I-95 in VA since Monday night
Abdul Karim, a driver stranded on I-95 in Virginia since Monday night, says he's running out of gas.
Virginia transportation officials said the reason it took so long to clear the roads was an inability to pretreat them before the winter weather hit. They also say plowing was difficult because of the rate of accumulation.
The shutdown impacted northbound and southbound lanes from exit 152 (Dumfries Road) to exit 104 (Carmel Church). That stretch of roadway remained closed into the morning of Jan. 4.
DRIVING ON THE ICE AND DRIVING IN THE SNOW
By 1 p.m. on Jan. 4, the Virginia Department of Transportation said they were detouring motorists who were on I-95 between Caroline County and Prince William County.
I-95 was officially open, with all disabled vehicles removed from the roadway by 8 p.m. on Jan. 4. No one was injured on I-95 during the shutdown.
Traveler experience
Family gets stuck on I-95 for 17 hours traveling back to VA from vacation
Family gets stuck on I-95 for 17 hours traveling back to VA from vacation in Florida.
SKYFOX captured images that appeared to show drivers turning around on parts of Interstate 95 in Virginia to escape traffic.
Andrew Peters of Richmond finally made it home after a nine-hour trek in the winter weather. He was later hit with a giant Uber bill of $600, WTOP-FM first reported. He eventually received a refund for his trip.
Meera Rao and her husband, Raghavendra, were driving home after visiting their daughter in North Carolina when they got stuck. They were only 100 feet past an exit but could not move for roughly 16 hours, according to the Associated Press.
Even U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, of Virginia, got stuck in traffic for 19 hours.
VA Senator stuck on I-95 for almost 24 hours due to Monday's snowstorm
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine says he's been stuck on I-95 in Virginia for 21+ hours: "I bet I have another 2 or 3 hours to go to get to work. I left yesterday right at lunchtime."
"I started my normal 2-hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol. My office is in touch with VDOT to see how we can help other Virginians in this situation. Please stay safe everyone," he tweeted.
A Baltimore bakery gave away loaves of bread and rolls to stranded motorists. Chuck Paterakis, a co-owner of H&S Bakery, which operates Schmidt Baking Company, instructed one of his drivers, who was also stuck on I-95, to give a package of rolls and one loaf of bread to any person in need.
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FOX 5 DC spoke to a family from Rhode Island traveling down to Florida who said they made it as far as Woodbridge before checking into a hotel.
"This morning, we left at about 9:30, and I think we made it seven miles up Route 1, and that took us until about 2 or 2:30 this afternoon, and we were lucky enough to find a hotel room, and here we are for the night," the family said.
Investigating the shutdown
Trucker helps stranded family during I-95 traffic jam: Made sure they 'were safe'
Matthew Marchand, truck driver who made it out of the Virginia traffic jam on Interstate-95, discusses supplying a family in need of water and blankets
Virginia commissioned an investigation into the winter weather catastrophe in February.
In his final days in office, former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam took heat for his comments about the I-95 debacle, including a statement that he was "getting sick and tired of people talking about what went wrong."
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Before leaving, he ordered an independent review of what happened that was conducted by CNA, a nonprofit research and analysis firm in Arlington, at a cost of nearly $80,000.
Driver stuck on I-95 in Virginia for more than 24 hours without food, water
Jeffrey Ell describes being stuck on I-95 in Virginia for more than 24 hours.
The state-commissioned report said Virginia state agencies collectively "lost situational awareness" and failed to keep up with growing gridlock.
While the 41-page report offered suggestions for improving future emergency responses, it did not ascribe blame to any single person or agency.
It noted first responders faced unusually heavy snowfall, busier-than-normal traffic and COVID-19-related staffing shortages — all while dealing with a highway corridor notorious for congestion even in the best of circumstances.