An inch of snow, icy roads unleash 9 hours of traffic chaos across D.C. region

From every corner of the region and into the wee hours of the morning, from every highway and byway, motorists vented their anger and frustration that they were still out there — at 1 a.m., then 2 a.m. and still at 3 a.m. — because of ice and untreated roads, from a modest early-evening snowfall that came and went in a few hours.

As the beginning of the morning rush hour approached, there were still reports of hazardous conditions and road blockages in many areas.

The detritus of the long commuting ordeal — scores of cars abandoned on and around the shoulders of highways — could complicate the drive to work for those unfortunate enough to have to make it.

It was Washington’s familiar post-apocalypse look, minus the apocalypse, a bewildering sight to those accustomed to more frigid climes.

And the scene proved once again (though no proof was needed) that Washington, when taken by surprise, is woefully unprepared, not just for a blizzard but for any “snow event.” It also showed how little it takes for the region to descend into a long night of traffic chaos: more than 1,000 reported fender-benders (unofficial numbers via Waze), six- and seven-hour trips home, jammed arteries and impassably frozen exit ramps.

That was compounded by road-treatment crews desperately but slowly trying to make things right and by emergency vehicles responding to calls about countless accidents. Most were said to be “minor” as cars slid into one another, but there were also reports, with little detail, of more serious crashes.

Overnight, every major highway appeared to be backed up in some spot, many in numerous places. Those roads bearing the letter “I” in their names— interstates 66, 295, 495, 395,  95, 695, 270 — were the worst of all. With many exit ramps blocked, there was no escape.

Silean Eaves, an assistant principal at School Without Walls in the District, told The Washington Post in a telephone interview from the road that she spent more than 6 1/2 hours on I-66 West before she reached the Dulles Toll Road on her way home to Herndon. “It’s a mess,” she said at 3 a.m., still en route. “Just pure ice. You can’t even go up any of the ramps. You pretty much have to stay on 66 and ride it out.” Plus she would have to make the reverse journey in just a few hours. “We have to go to school tomorrow at 7:30,” she said, wondering how conditions could possibly be better in the morning as 66 East was “a parking lot.” She added: “There’s a spelling bee. By the grace of God, we’ll get some rest and get out there.”