Snow Creates Traffic Troubles For Some Motorists

BALTIMORE (WJZ ) -- This morning's commute was a nightmare. It took some people two or three times as long as it normally would have to get to their destinations.

Derek Valcourt has the details.

The morning commute was already a mess and the timing of this storm followed by that cold blast means officials don't expect the roads to get much better than this anytime soon.

The snow started piling up right in the middle of morning rush hour and that had a crippling effect on traffic.

Drivers knew they were lucky to be crawling along on highways and downtown streets.

"Took a little longer to get to school than it usually does because of the slippery roads," one motorist said.

More than 2,000 trucks were out on Maryland highways plowing and treating the roads. Highway officials say the volume of traffic during the morning rush hour seriously slowed t heir plow trucks down.

It doesn't take many stalled vehicles or vehicles spinning out to close down a highway," Governor Martin O'Malley said.

It was the first significant snow of the year and around the region. The shovels were out with a vengeance and in some places enough snow for the snow blowers to come out.

In the city, some cars had trouble with traction and need a push.

Drives have been a little more cautious.

"I'm on my way into work right now so 8 hours from now is probably not going to be a good ride home," another motorist said.

State officials say as an arctic blast strikes the area, they expect winds could cause snow to drift back into some roads. Their biggest concerns is the plummeting temperatures overnight. They're warning drivers to be careful for refreezing and black ice.

"The goal here is to get the roadway, the pavement cleared and dry," Melinda Peters with State Highway Administration said. "We'll be doing whatever final salt treatments or brine treatments we need along the roadways so that we can hopefully manage the cold temperatures we are going to have over the next few days."

As State Highway crews lay down a lot of salt, it's probably a good idea for folks to do the same on their sidewalks, pathways and driveways at home.

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