40cm Heavy Snowfall Causes Chaos on US Capital's Highway

80km Closure of Major Eastern US Highway Near Washington DC
Drivers Trapped for Up to 24 Hours
Senator Appeals After Being Trapped for 19 Hours

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The heavy snowfall near Washington DC paralyzed the 'I-95' highway, the 'main artery' of US logistics. A Virginia federal senator shared his experience of being stuck for more than 19 hours after leaving home to go to his office.

The I-95 highway is a key logistics network on the US East Coast, running from southern Florida through Washington, New York, Boston, and up to Canada.

The 40cm of snow that fell the previous day turned the road into a parking lot.

The 80km section from Richmond, the capital of Virginia, to Washington was especially problematic. Trees that could not bear the weight of the snow fell, and vehicle accidents continued, creating a chaotic situation.

The internet media BuzzFeed reported that people trapped on the highway for more than 24 hours were expressing their suffering.

Drivers and passengers spent the night on the road. In the severe cold, drivers frequently turned off their engines to save fuel and shared food with nearby vehicles to endure the situation.

Tim Kaine, a Democratic senator representing Virginia, was also one of the residents stuck in the traffic jam.

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine shared on Twitter the story of being stuck on the highway. He mentioned that he had been on the highway for over 19 hours and received oranges from nearby vehicles.

Senator Kaine tweeted, "I left for Washington, a two-hour drive, at 1 PM yesterday and after 19 hours, I still haven't reached near the Capitol." He also posted a photo of oranges shared by a Connecticut resident returning home from Florida.

The story of Jennifer Travis, who was returning home to Virginia after vacationing in Florida, is even more dramatic. Jennifer faced two flight cancellations due to the spread of COVID-19 and bad weather, spending time at the airport before renting a car to return home, only to encounter an even bigger obstacle.

Jennifer finally got off the highway at 10 AM after spending the night.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) stated that they were still working to reopen the highway by the afternoon but did not specify when normal traffic would resume. The problematic 80km section remains closed.

VDOT urged via Twitter, "This is an unprecedented situation. In case of emergency, please call 911. Please stay inside your vehicle."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.