I-95 Virginia storm

I would only carry one in a situation like this. "There's going to be shit weather and I have no way of avoiding going for a road trip in it? Better pack a bunch of precautions."

With a full tank plus extra gas, food, water, and cold weather gear, being stuck on the highway would just be a really boring inconvenience at that point.

 

Yea, it wasn't that cold either and most of those people were 100 yards from complete safety.

 

General question, how much fuel does the V6 burn at idle per hour?

 

I had this exact question yesterday so I looked it up. Engine displacement in liters x 0.6 = how many liters you burn an hour.

3.5 x 0.6 = 2.1 liters per hour, or 0.55 gallons. With a full 21 gallon tank, you could idle 38 hours.

https://www.autotrader.ca/newsfeatures/20190201/how-long-can-you-stay-warm-on-a-tank-of-gas/

 

95 is littered with exits in Northern VA...slightly less when you're between Fredericksburg and Woodbridge (Stafford/Quantico). The problem is that the other option is Route 1...which is equally shitty.

I briefly thought I'd return to the NOVA/MD area after leaving for 3-4 years. When I came back and started interviewing for jobs up there I quickly changed my mind because of the congestion...too many people, too many cars, too little space. I don't even like driving through the area anymore. Decided to move to the valley instead. The 81 corridor isn't perfect, but it's 1000X better than 95.

As far as the infrastructure in VA....it's never been capable of handling winter storms, regardless of political party.

 

I think a lot of people are wondering this. Were the shoulders so bad that people could not advance to off ramps? Were they just afraid to leave their vehicles?

I don't blame anyone but the drivers. Slow TF down and drive accordingly. Even when it rains you see people hauling ass 15mph over the speed limit. Chill out.

It all has to start somewhere, and then the chain reaction of lunacy starts because everyone is driving too fast for the conditions. Plain and simple. If the traffic was still moving it would have created a pathway and the roads would have been manageable. Instead, people are in such a hurry they drive like maniacs, cause an accident, traffic slows and more accidents start. I just can't help but wonder if it was really that bad or people could not drive their non capable vehicles out of the way.

@OP, did you do any scouting on the shoulders? From the pic you posted it looked crawlable, but how far were exits?

 

You like the 81 corridor better? That stretch south of Strasburg is terrifying with big rigs doing 100mph down hill followed by 50 mph up.

 

I normally do, for some reason I didn’t put the bag in my truck. Didn’t have food for 30 hours and only a bottle of water. I did have a wool blanket though. It stays in the truck.

 

I live in West Virginia and drive in snow a lot. Some people have no clue though.

 

Getting off the ramp was nearly impossible. I did get off at exit 118 and it was littered with cars and RV’s. I filled my tank up and got back on 95. The off ramps were pretty much parking lots. The left and right sides on the the interstate were not passable. The snow was so wet and heavy, I tried and even with the locker engaged, it was extremely tough.

 

The interstate was in much better shape than the side roads. I tried and only drove about 100 feet.

 

19 degrees is pretty cold if your sleeping in a truck and trying to conserve fuel.

 

I tried an exit and it was impossible. I can’t get out and walk much either as I am a disabled veteran. Getting off and taking an alternate route really wasn’t happen. The interstate was the best road and the off ramps were blocked by RV’s and two wheel drive cars. They had plowed one or two lanes on 95 which pretty much blocked the left and right berms.

 

Yeah...that's the trade off. It's the best way to get product up and down the east coast since 95 is such a mess. The Truck to passenger vehicle ratio is pretty bad...but i'll take it over the daily traffic of 95. 81 also has 2 parallel roads that can serve as back up routes in a pinch...42 and 11.

 

Understandable. At that point not sure if airing down would have been worth a try or not, if you can't go anywhere because of other cars. Those who were able to escape in time probably filled the hotels/motels close by too. Anyways, was just curious.

So glad I left the condensed cities on the east coast years ago.

 

One of these days....I hope to become a hated transplant to CO/MT/ID as well. Lol

 

just a thought , maybe it's you people above the Mason Dixon coming south then going back north are creating the problem , just saying

 

@OP glad you made it alive and with no damage! I am an active duty Army Soldier stationed at Ft Jackson (2nd year). We have a new group of Soldiers transitioning in....they came from upstate NY, Mass, VT and Baltimore area. They all left on Sunday and while many knew of storm, the people in charge didn't encourage or suggest the Soldiers to travel EARLY Sunday morning...press on as far south as possible (prior to snowfall) OR travel more westerly route (81). 95 near DC is crazy. Last year when I was in charge of travel for our group, we enforced all 30 travel same route, I81, and stayed in same hotels each day for accountability and safety. This group was like "just go south, see you Tuesday". It was Charlie Foxtrot for this group! None of our Soldiers got stuck on 95 but a few stayed an extra night at same hotel and traveled on Tuesday.

 

TBH, I don't plan on staying here. Too expensive. We'll see where life takes me in the next 10 years. Nothing in Oklahoma, and I've lived there before. Gas is cheap. Rent is cheap. Sounds like paradise.