It was last week’s nightmare scenario when hundreds of drivers were stranded on I-95 in Virginia – many of them Montgomery County residents trying to make their way home on a holiday weekend. What was it like to be trapped in the traffic nightmare? We talked with Burtonsville’s Meera Rao about her experience. She and her husband were driving back from a visit with their daughter in North Carolina. It’s a trip they have taken many times over the years. They faithfully plot their travels with Google maps and weather apps. Last Sunday afternoon, it seemed like clear sailing – until they hit I-95.
Virginia officials call the New Year’s Holiday Weekend 50 mile backup the worst in the state’s history. According to the Virginia State Police, they handled more than 2 thousand crashes and disabled vehicles during the backup. Officials describe it as “completely unacceptable”. They have begun an investigation into the incident. In the days following their long car trip, Meera Roa and her husband experienced some dizziness and drank lots of liquids to get rehydrated. They expressed no interest in traveling again during any upcoming snowstorms.
