DC Mayor Bowser apologizes for gridlock after inadequate snow response; discusses blizzard plans
WASHINGTON - D.C.'s Mayor Muriel Bowser apologized Thursday for the traffic nightmare drivers faced Wednesday night when less than an inch of snow fell across the region.
Bowser spoke to reporters a day after countless drivers spent hours trapped in their cars due to icy conditions on interstates and local roads. Some motorists abandoned their vehicles on the sides of roadways. Tractor-trailers lined the shoulders of some highways Thursday morning after stopping for the night.
In a Tweet, Bowser said, "Last night the District failed to deploy the necessary resources in response to the snow - for that I am sorry."
The mayor said D.C. will declare a snow emergency at 9 a.m. on Friday. For drivers, this mean all vehicles must be moved off of snow emergency routes by that time. (GET FULL DETAILS: http://ddot.dc.gov/page/district-columbia-winter-snow-and-ice-plan)
Schools will also be closed on Friday and government offices will close at noon.
The gridlock experienced on Wednesday night came just days before a potential blizzard is expected to drop as much as 2 feet of snow on parts of the region.