Va. officials defend response to snowy gridlock
RICHMOND, Va. — State officials are defending their response to a blizzard that stranded hundreds of drivers along Interstate 95, saying conditions for the gridlock were caused by a combination of unusually heavy snowfall, plunging temperatures and a rainy start that kept them from pretreating the roads.
There were no reported deaths or injuries from the calamity on one of the nation’s busiest highways. But there was plenty of outrage from motorists, some of whom were stranded overnight Monday into Tuesday, posting pleas for help on social media.
“We all need to be clear that this was an incredibly unusual event,” Gov. Ralph Northam said at a news conference late Tuesday, adding that he could understand drivers’ “frustration and fear.”
He also said activating the Virginia National Guard wouldn’t have helped, because there was no way to get personnel or equipment where they needed to be.
Problems began Monday morning, when a truck jackknifed on I95 between Richmond and Washington, triggering a chain reaction as other vehicles lost control, state police said.
The issues mounted throughout the day as snow fell at a rate of up to 2 inches an hour, said Marcie Parker, a Virginia Department of Transportation engineer leading the effort to clear the interstate.
“That was entirely too much for us to keep up with,” she said.
Lanes in both directions eventually became blocked along a 40mile stretch of I-95. As hours passed and night fell, drivers posted messages on social media about running out of fuel, food and water.