DC Mayor Bowser apologizes for gridlock after inadequate snow response; discusses blizzard plans

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.