A monstrous blizzard has left Northern Virginia covered in as much as 18 inches of snow. Drivers on I-95 near Fredericksburg got the worst of it. Among the hundreds trapped for more than one day on the interstate in miserable and potentially dangerous conditions was U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Kaine ran as Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the 2016 presidential election.
Per CNBC:
The Virginia Department of Transportation has closed the I-95 interstate, with disabled vehicles and downed trees being reported in the Fredericksburg area, about 50 miles south of D.C.
“We have an estimated 20-30 trucks stuck” on I-95 northbound, Virginia DOT Fredericksburg tweeted shortly before midnight.
VDOT crews will continue snow operations overnight. Snow removal operations have also been hampered by thousands of fallen trees & downed power lines that must be removed to open the roads. Please continue to avoid all nonessential travel.
❄️ Learn more: https://t.co/7lHpgoQikt pic.twitter.com/LSBkSZOhgN— VDOT (@VaDOT) January 4, 2022
Traffic alert, @LouisaCountyVA US 522 near Rt 663 (Owens Creek Rd) all lanes closed due to several jack-knifed tractor-trailers. Use alt routes. @LouisaCoSheriff @VSPPIO @NewsRadioWINA @CBS19News @NBC29 @TheCV @WCHVNEWS @DailyProgress
— VDOT Culpeper (@VaDOTCULP) January 4, 2022
Other drivers stranded in the implacable gridlock shared their varying degrees of frustration with The Wall Street Journal:
Scott Haun, 37, said he left his home in Fredericksburg on Monday around 6 p.m. to pick up friends from Dulles International Airport. He didn’t make it to the airport and ended up stuck on Route 1.
Instead of seeing his friends, Mr. Haun eventually returned home, after some 20 hours in his vehicle.
Mr. Haun, an engineer, said he had eaten some candy and had a few bottles of water. He said he had about a quarter tank of gas left and that he was glad he drove a pickup truck.
He told The Journal that he was “just hanging out,” before adding that “There’s nothing I can do except sit here.”
NBC News reporter Josh Lederman shared his story from his car on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” early Tuesday.
.@JoshNBCNews joins us from his car on I-95, where he has been stuck overnight with his dog as a result of the winter weather. pic.twitter.com/s2nN4uaqp6
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) January 4, 2022
As of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Kaine tweeted that his trip had finally ended. The drive from Richmond to Washington took 27 hours.
Ok after 27 hours on the road from Richmond to DC, very happy to be back in the Capitol and working on voting rights legislation this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/6XE45ZQUvq
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) January 4, 2022
If you are experiencing serious trouble on Virginia roadways today, please call the Virginia Department of Transportation at 1-800-FOR-ROAD.