The snowstorm caused several traffic jams around the D.C. area Tuesday evening.
A crash at the Springfield Interchange, commonly referred to as the Mixing Bowl in Northern Virginia, forced the closure of a ramp from westbound Interstate 495 to southbound Interstate 95, the Virginia Department of Transportation reported.
A traffic camera showed cars stopped on the ramp and people getting out of their cars, unable to drive up the ramp.
Virginia State Police helped VDOT get its plow trucks there, and multiple ramps were closed for treatment.
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VDOT emphasized staying off the roads.
“You can’t get stuck on the roads if you’re not on the roads,” a VDOT spokesperson said.
On Old Bridge Road in Prine William County, traffic came to a standstill for at least 90 minutes as drivers were unable to drive up a hill. Drivers lost control and blocked dozens of cars behind them.
“I tried to move over, because the car was a little stuck,” said Danita White, who abandoned her car to walk home. “I was OK for a little bit with momentum, but then I had to move to the right side so everybody else could get over.”
Eventually, a plow truck carved a path. Some cars had to be towed.
In Germantown, Maryland, as the sun was going down, a car swerved to try to avoid a crash on northbound Interstate 270 at Middlebrook road but ended up sliding across all four lanes of traffic.
The Maryland State Highway Administration said four vehicles got caught up in the crash.
In D.C., multiple vehicles got stuck on Dalecarlia Parkway in Northwest, prompting police to close the parkway between Loughboro Road and Westmoreland Circle NW. D.C. Department of Public Works sent plow and salt trucks to the scene, police said.
And on 14th Street NW, about 10 Metrobuses got stuck just south of Military Road, blocking the street from Madison Street to Nicholson Street NW. Plow and salt trucks were sent there as well.
