Traffic Jam Snares Md. Holiday Shoppers

ABINGDON, Md. (AP) -- State police in Maryland say a major traffic jam stranded hundreds of holiday shoppers in a mess that took more than two hours to clear.

The backup happened Thursday near an Abingdon strip mall in Harford County. State troopers and Harford County sheriff's deputies were called out when a backup formed after motorists could not get out of the parking lot at Constant Friendship Shopping Center.

State police Cpl. John Krysiak says congestion and a road design flaw at the shopping center, which has only one way in and one way out, caused the backup. Police issued a bulletin urging the public to stay away from the area.

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