Drivers have been stuck for hours in freezing temperatures after crashes block I-95

A closed section of Interstate 95 near Fredericksburg, Va., on Tuesday. Both northbound and southbound sections of the highway were closed due to snow and ice.
Virginia Department of Transportation/AP

Updated: 6:45 p.m.

Drivers along a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 95 in Virginia, south of the nation's capital, were trapped in freezing temperatures for hours after heavy snowfall contributed to a series of spinouts and crashes. Traffic on the interstate is still blocked in some places.

WTOP reported Tuesday morning that hundreds of drivers were still stranded after the previous evening's rush hour, with some at a standstill for 16 hours or more.

State police said several tractor-trailers jackknifed on the slippery interstate, making the road impassable and causing a massive backup of commuters.

Traffic was still not back to normal by early afternoon on Tuesday, and some people were still stranded.

Turn Up Your Support

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.

Gov. Ralph Northam sent an emergency alert to drivers saying supplies and help were on the way.

Some drivers slept in their cars

Drivers wait for the traffic to be cleared as cars and trucks are stranded on sections of Interstate 95 on mid-day Tuesday in Carmel Church, Va.
Steve Helber/AP

Andrew Stein of Washington, D.C., was making his way back from South Carolina when he hit the jam near Fredericksburg, Va. He told member station WAMU that he tried to take another route but got stuck there, too.

"I think I've gone through the five stages of grief," Stein said. "I think I'm now at acceptance but getting a little worried because I'm low on gas."

Stein ended up sleeping in his car, but a nearby hotel, which was full, allowed him a place to warm up and get something to eat.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine was one of those who stayed overnight in his car.

He spoke to NPR's All Things Considered about what was supposed to be a 2-hour trip.

He spent more than 27 hours trying to get from Richmond to D.C. for a voting rights meeting.

"I got bogged down a number of times where the ice and the snow were so bad," he said, "and the cars were just stopped for five or six hours at a time."

He spent the night surrounded by other cars and trucks. Some had slid off the road or run out of gas as drivers tried to stay warm. "It was pretty grim," he said.

Kaine said he got through the night and conserved his gas by running his heater on "full blast" for 10 minutes, turning it off, and then waiting to turn it back on when it became too cold for him.

Others abandoned their vehicles

"Some people were seen abandoning their vehicles in snow-covered travel lanes, walking down I-95 to parts unknown," according to WTOP traffic reporter Dave Dildine. "Some callers were sobbing and scared."

Despite the below-freezing temperatures overnight, many drivers reportedly shut off their engines to conserve gas as they waited in the dark.

In a live report from his car stuck on the highway, NBC reporter Josh Lederman on Morning Joe described the situation as an "insane and fairly dystopian experience."

He said motorists were monitoring Twitter in hopes of getting some indication of when things would start moving again. "There was one point where they briefly opened one lane overnight and we got to move about a quarter of a mile down the road. Then it crashed again."

Meera Rao told The Associated Press that she and her husband got stuck only 100 feet from an exit. They remained there, unable to move, for 16 hours.

"Not one police [officer] came in the 16 hours we were stuck," Rao said. "No one came. It was just shocking. Being in the most advanced country in the world, no one knew how to even clear one lane for all of us to get out of that mess?"

A single lane was open by Tuesday morning

By about 9 a.m. ET, vehicles began creeping along one lane in a single direction as road crews began getting a handle on the situation, helping drivers get off "at any available interchange" to reopen the road, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said.

At about 11:30 a.m. ET, VDOT tweeted a caution to Tuesday's commuters to expect congestion. "Crews are working to reopen I-95 as soon as possible," the department said.

The Virginia State Police said early Tuesday that in an effort to "safely reach stranded motorists & get traffic moving once again," that incoming traffic to the highway at some exits was being restricted.

A version of this story originally appeared in the Morning Edition live blog.