Multiple accidents happened on Interstate 95 in Virginia on Mon Jan 3 at 5:20pm. A tractor-trailer jackknifed causing multiple big-rigs to collide. The collision caused a chain reaction of delays and backing-up cars. Nearby roads were backed up due to congestion, downed trees, or wintry conditions. Total time the 50-mile stretch shutdown was 27 hours. One of the busiest East Coast highways connecting Virginia and Washington D.C. and the US Capitol and the Pentagon reopened northbound and southbound on Tue Jan 4 at 8:40pm.
A main reason why it took 27 hours to reopen Interstate 95 from Maine to Florida was clearing the road one car and one truck at a time. Tow trucks dragged disabled cars out of the ice. Some cars ran out of gas after exhausting gas to warm up their cars and power up devices. Some cars broke down.
The weather forecast was rain and up to two inches of snow. 12 inches of snow fell. Salt trucks and plows couldn't get on the highway to clear the snow. The rain forecast prevented pretreatment because rain washes away any salt mixture. Here is the Virginia Department Of Transportation bulletin Interstate 95 Closed Through Fredericksburg.
It was nobody's fault. No person intentionally caused people stranded in their vehicles during a snowstorm overnight. Blame dumb luck and bad timing. The forecast was incorrect. One event led to another event. It was a chain reaction of bad events. A rational person say two hours of minor inconvenience happens. Delays happens. Traffic jams happens daily. A 27-hour traffic jam was one in a million.
My Car's Emergency Equipment
My car is equipped with emergency equipment which includes blankets, tarps, bags, toilet paper, jumper cables, two flashlights, emergency tool kit, two portable chairs, fire extinguisher, matches, paper, change, shovel, sewing kit, hand sanitizer, jackets, shirts, garbage bags, rope, and utensils. I admit some of my emergency equipment are removed due to the pandemic because I limit my driving within the Northern California Bay Area since Mar 2020. There is no need for the equipment in street driving.
Snow is a one in a billion event in the Bay Area. Most of the Bay Area is urban. There are nearby facilities and emergency services. I bring food and water the next time I travel out of the Bay Area. I'm consciously aware of the weather report from my home to my long-distance destination for which I bring necessarily supplies to prepare in case of emergency.
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