Tim Kaine stuck on I-95 for 19 hours during backups in Virginia, DC

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said Tuesday morning that had been stuck in traffic on I-95 for more than 19 hours — one of hundreds of people stranded on the interstate following a winter storm that hit the Washington, D.C., metro area earlier in the day.

Kaine tweeted that he left his home in Virginia around 1 p.m. on Monday for his usual two-hour commute to work in the U.S. Capitol but reported he was still in traffic at 8:27 a.m. on Tuesday.

“I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday,” he wrote. “19 hours later, I’m still not near the capitol.”

I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol. My office is in touch with @VaDOT to see how we can help other Virginians in this situation. Please stay safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/Sz1b1hZJZ5

— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) January 4, 2022

Kaine said he was in touch with the Virginia Department of Transportation to “help other Virginians in this situation.”

An unusually strong winter storm hit the mid-Atlantic and East Coast on Monday, dumping several inches of snow across the region and prompting road closures and other delays.

All federal offices in Washington were closed Monday because of the storm. 

In the Fredericksburg, Va., area, I-95 remained closed Tuesday morning as crews work to reduce clogged traffic stretching for miles.

The office of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) issued a statement Tuesday morning reporting that state police responded to more than 1,000 accidents on the icy roads since midnight on Tuesday.

Northam also tweeted the state was working “to clear downed trees, assist disabled vehicles, and re-route drivers” but urged all Virginians to avoid I-95 until it was clear.

The governor’s office said police also assisted more than 1,000 vehicles trapped, disabled or hampered by the winter weather.

But hundreds of vehicles remained stuck in the traffic snarl on I-95, many of them still there from overnight. Josh Lederman, a reporter for NBC News, tweeted his exasperation with the delays this morning.

“I try not to tweet about daily inconveniences, but this experience has been insane,” he wrote. “For the last 7+ hours, I’ve been stuck in my car, not moving.”

I try not to tweet about daily inconveniences, but this experience has been insane.

For the last 7+ hours, I’ve been stuck in my car, not moving, in a total shutdown of I-95 northbound about 30 miles south of DC. (1)

— Josh Lederman (@JoshNBCNews) January 4, 2022

Updated at 10:38 a.m.