![]() ![]() Other challenges for plows included blocked shoulders, immobilized tractor-trailers, falling trees and downed power lines. However, the snow was falling at a rate of 3 inches per hour in the Fredericksburg area, and VDOT slowly got behind. 3, VDOT’s snow response was at Level IV (Level 1 mobilization requires the least resources Level V requires the most). ![]() Why couldn’t VDOT keep up with snow removal?īy Jan. Lastly, the highway in the area has a reputation for being a “traffic hotspot,” in addition to steep, long hills and work zone barriers blocking the shoulders, which the report said affected snow removal. ![]() It also found that the number of tractor-trailers on Virginia interstates has increased since 2019, due to supply-chain issues and changes in regular commuter traffic - byproducts of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Traffic volumes on I-95 around Fredericksburg on January 2 into early January 3 (before the snow) were on average 65 percent higher than on the same days in 2019,” the report said. As a result, travelers coming back from winter break took to the roads. The increase in traffic volume on the road that day can be traced to staff shortages due to the omicron variant that led to flight cancellations over the New Year’s Day holiday, the report said. In addition, the warm weather and the rain days before the storm prevented pretreatment of roads and softened the ground, which later had an impact when heavy snow weighed down trees causing some to fall. The report found that the warm weather may have lessened the public’s attention to the messaging warning people of inclement weather and avoiding unnecessary travel. 3 was the largest snowfall in the area in the last six years, but a day before, temperatures were in the mid 60s. The report also addressed key issues for the public, including how the road conditions got so bad, why VDOT didn’t close the highway sooner, why state agency leadership did not understand how bad I-95 was getting and why people weren’t told not to travel on I-95, among others. senator Tim Kaine weighed in on the importance of the report. The storm led to hundreds of drivers being stuck on the road, some for more than 24 hours. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia State Police (VSP) requested the after-action report on their decision-making and actions during the weather event on Jan. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)Ī report on what happened during a winter storm in January that left many drivers stranded for hours on Interstate 95 in Virginia reveals in great detail what went wrong and what can be improved to prevent it from happening again. The report commissioned by the state of Virginia was released Friday, April 1, 2022. Virginia state agencies responding to a severe snowstorm that stranded hundreds of motorists along Interstate 95 in January collectively lost what a report called “situational awareness” amid the growing gridlock. Close to 48 miles of the Interstate was closed due to ice and snow. Business & Finance Click to expand menu.ĭrivers wait for the traffic to be cleared as cars and trucks are stranded on sections of Interstate 95 Tuesday Jan. ![]()
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