Drivers Stuck For 12 Hours On I-78 Due To Wintry Mess
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) -- The first snowstorm of the season caused havoc around Pennsylvania, downing trees and power lines and causing a travel nightmare, including for some drivers who were stuck for 12 hours on a snowy interstate.
Thursday's storm brought traffic to a standstill in many areas as drivers and road crews tried to keep up with the stronger than expected weather system. Snow was still falling Friday morning in the Poconos but was to taper off by afternoon.
Lehigh Valley commuters AVOID I-78 this morning. There's multiple disabled tractor trailers along the highway. It's a complete gridlock, some people are still stuck there from last night! Use RT-22 @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/OU3SQnmXL4
— Chandler Lutz (@ChandlerLutzTV) November 16, 2018
The wintry weather caused havoc on a 30-mile stretch of Interstate 78, with numerous vehicles getting stuck for several hours from the Lehigh Valley to the New Jersey state line. Police sometimes drove on the opposite side of highway, honking their horns to wake up drivers who had fallen asleep. Some drivers ran out of gas. Travel conditions on I-78 are now looking much better.
School Closings
The CBS3 Mobile Weather Watcher tracked road conditions in Bucks County, where many roads got a fresh coating of snow this morning. Some roads in the area are not fully cleared, so with a wintry mix falling, portions of the roads remain slick.
#Snow is falling in #Doylestown this am. Looks pretty, but the roads definitely aren't. Use caution driving in Upper Bucks & Montgomery Counties, where snow/sleet is still falling & sticking. Highways closer to and in #Philly are pretty clear. Side streets are slushy @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/tT1r0uXiRk
— Trang Do (@TrangKDo) November 16, 2018
Crews are working to get the roads back to normal after this November blast from Mother Nature.
FULL WEATHER FORECAST
MASS TRANSIT UPDATE
SEPTA:
Regional Rail: Service on SEPTA's Trenton Line is operating with delays of up to 40 minutes due to Amtrak switch problems.
Inbound service to Center City on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line has been restored. Train #556 is the first train to Center City, scheduled to leave Malvern at 11:56 a.m. Outbound service to Thorndale remains suspended.
Service has resumed on all other SEPTA Regional Rail lines.
Bus: Regular Service has resumed on Routes9, 27, 35, 48, 65 and 92.
AMTRAK:
Due to a downed tree, there is a service advisory on the Keystone Line.
SERVICE ADVISORY KEYSTONE LINE: Due to a down tree on the tracks the following adjustments have been made. Trains 601, 605, 607 are cancelled no alternate transportation; Trains 640, 642, 600 will operate PHL-NYP only no alternate transportation HAR-PHL.
— Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNECAlerts) November 16, 2018
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)