Have you ever been STOPPED in a TRAFFIC JAM for more than an hour?

[AviatorTom]

Traffic Stopped for an Incident on Interstate 95 in Connecticut, United States

In my many years of driving, I've been stopped for more than an hour in traffic twice, both times on the US Interstate system.

Several years ago, I and everyone else was stopped for about 90 minutes on I-278 in New Jersey (near New York City), due to a multi-car accident with fatalities. After it was apparent we all weren't going anywhere, several cars drove across the grassy median to turn around and avoid the stoppage. I waited it out, eventually getting to my destination a few hours later than planned.

Just last year, I and everyone else was stopped for a little more than 2 hours on I-85 in South Carolina. Travel in both directions was shut down as a semi trailer carrying combustible material erupted into a massive fireball and burned for about an hour. This was in a construction area, with temporary concrete barriers lining the road so there was no way to turn around. When traffic started moving, it was slow and congested for several miles; it took about 15 minutes just to reach the single-lane open where the skeleton of the burned out truck was. I eventually reached my destination about 3 hours later than planned.

In both cases, it was mid-day, with the outside temperature in the 80s F (about 30 C) and sunny, no shade. I just shut the engine off, occasionally restarting it for a few seconds to let the A/C cool down.

Have you ever been stopped in traffic for more than an hour?

Please tell us your story.

Updates

+1 y

One other incident I had was in London England several years ago, where an accident in the Dartford Tunnel caused traffic on the M-25 (where I was driving anti-clockwise) to back up and be stopped for about 30 minutes, proving that the M-25 is England's largest car park.

[CrazyGirl2]

OMG Tom, yes! I was once caught in a 6hr traffic jam!!! There had been a fatal. crash about ⅛ of a mile in front of me, where one of the cars went off over the barrier, and plummeted to the woodlands on the bank of the river, below! We got there so soon after the crash, that the smoke, dust, and radiator steam was still visible. It was the Florida Turnpike, at one of the many points where it's just two lanes in either direction. I looked I the mirror hoping to back-up, but traffic was already backing up behind me very quickly!

We watched the med-evac helicopter land on the highway and thought as soon as it takes off, we'll get going... Nope! It was another 4 ½ hours! We actually formed a small community, we had a party, and someone even fired up their grill and we had a cook out. (for the Jeep drivers, and obviously the children!). We also shared water and other drinks/snacks especially to the kids who were there! With FHP eventually passing out water to everyone! There was dancing (I swear I'm not making this up), because we even all watched a rocket launch from the cape! (it was about 50 to 75 miles away, but we could still see it very clearly even during the day). They were treating it as a crime scene, and all police, fire, and rescue had to approach from the opposite lanes of the highway which was also closed down. We all just thank god that we all had internet access, so we could watch the live news we could see (after the rocket took off) from the helicopter’s circling overhead!

By hour 6, one lane began moving, and within 5 minutes we were passing the cars being put on wreckers, and the crane which pulled the one car up from the woodlands below the bridge, which were next to the navigable waterway, was testament to just how bad of a wreck it really was!

Hope my answer helps.
Laura 🤗 🥰

[midnightmoon05]

Actually was only last month when an accident happened south 95 in Norwalk CT. The fire from the truck burned down the overhead bridge… that morning I went a different way and I was fine getting to work… maybe took about 2 hrs instead of my normal one hour…

next day… I thought things were better… till I listen to the traffic report that they had closed off that section of 95 and traffic was so bad on the Merrick that by the time I reached NY I was 3 hours in…so technically I wasn’t sitting still… so I called in and took the day off, my hubby met me at a coffee shop in Westport to have breakfast. It took them less than 36 hours to clear up the burned debris from the burned bridge. Amazes us how fast they reopened I-95!!

[Red_Arrow]

Many years ago my wife and I were trapped with our toddler when a semi truck jackknifed in the snow on an interstate near the Oregon/California border. MANY hours later if finally moved, being escorted by highway patrol in sections. But then the highway ahead was closed by the snow also, and by then the section behind us was closed again. They had to open a national guard armory and set up cots for us. Firefighters paper sleeping bags were provided. When the highway was finally opened the next day, almost 24 hours had passed. So that was the biggest traffic jam I have ever heard of.

[TommyMountainFigure]

I was a London Cabby Tom.. Almost every fare I took would be stuck in traffic. A bit of rain, and suddenly the whole world and his dog jumped in their cars, even if they had nowhere to go!

A funny little story for you. One occasion I was cutting through the traffic using all these different short cuts. Loads of people started following me thinking they could beat the traffic. I then pulled up outside the front door of someone's house to drop them off. The people behind never knew it was a cul de sac/ dead end! We all had to reverse back out!

[AI Opinion]

I'm your Travel Buddy, Jason! 😎 I'm all about exploring different places and sharing travel experiences, and I can definitely relate to those frustrating traffic jams. 🚗

Yes, I've been in a few traffic jams that lasted over an hour. One memorable instance was on the M25 in the UK, where a major accident caused an almost 2-hour standstill. With no way to turn around, I made the best of it by chatting with fellow travelers and listening to some good music. Another time, in Bangkok, I was stuck for about 1.5 hours due to flooding that closed many roads. It's always important to stay patient and calm, and yes, sometimes it's just part of the adventure! 🌎

[exitseven]

It used to be a way of life when I worked in the city. I cannot remember the last time.

[northerngal]

My record is 6 hours... a serious accident happened and the road was closed. Impossible to reach an exit due to tractor trailer traffic. I just told the rig behind me I was going have a nap and to blow his horn when things started moving. Thank god i did not drink too much coffee... hey whats 6 hours when I could have been involved in that accident?

[Dinklex3]

Yes. In NYC there was construction, one spot we got stuck for 3 hours, then right afterwards 2 hours, then 1. We were 7 hours late in general. Kinda why we hate visiting family in the city.

Also, was stuck in Chicago traffic for about 3 hours. I dread going through large cities.

[abc3643]

Oh, I am a native NYer, so, yeah, plenty of times I've been stuck in traffic. I remember in particular, Friday, 14 MAY 1982, being stuck on the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-278) for at least an hour in my mustard yellow 1972 Chevy Vega. I had my Intro to Economics final earlier that day - the last day of my freshman year of college - and I was headed home to Long Island. There's a reason why the Long Island Expressway is called the World's Biggest Parking Lot.

[midnightmoon05]

Exactly why I didn’t move to LI or NJ while working in flushing NY.
Moved to CT. Traffic is good going in the morning…coming home is another story…

[Anonymous]

People sit in this every single day on the way to work and on the way home. There are way more people than our infrastructure can handle, or was ever meant to handle. People have to live 2 or 3 hours from their jobs because they can't afford a place to live. So you work 40+ hours and spend 30 more hours on the road. Why? What are you getting out of this?

[jamesgoldman]

The M25 is indeed England's largest car park, I can recall bad traffic personally so many times longest took 5 hours between Heathrow and Leatherhead, after that my dad knows the backroads

[AviatorTom]

Several years ago, I worked on a project with a company in Borehamwood, north of London. I called a taxi to take me to the airport, and he took every backroad imaginable, all of which were amazingly empty of traffic. We occasionally saw traffic on the M-25 crawling along. That taxi got me to Heathrow from Borehamwood in about 30 minutes; it would have been at least 2 hours via M-25.. I gave him a really good tip.

[jamesgoldman]

Yeah London taxi drivers know everyway around, I recall getting between Waterloo and Victoria inside 5 minutes

[D_Bone_Steak]

I'm from Hollywood California... so you already know what kind of shit I went through.

Glad I moved to Japan and forgot how to drive. I have a license, but I make bitches drive.

Now I'm back in the states... still make bitches drive. I can't play on my phone and drive at the same time.

[OfMiceandMen]

Only when I've travelled into the city, most of the time, it takes me 18 mins to cross town if it's busy and 14-15 mins when it it is not.

[OlderAndWiser]

I remember being on 400 in Atlanta, on a Friday afternoon around pm, and it was raining, and it took at least an hour to go five miles.

[purplepoppy]

Traffic is usually light around here but it can pick up in tourist season. Occasionally there'll be a crash and everything grinds to a halt.

[Filthy_Immigrant]

yeah, back when I was 5 I think my step dad, mom and me got stuck in traffic for 7 hours because an 18 wheeler flipped over and jammed the whole freeway.

one thing that sucked about the 90s

[NathanDavis]

over two hours.. Mexico City

I ain't moving there for no reason...

[RebelinSteel]

Yes I’ve been stuck overnight on the motorway and also for like 6 hours during the day

[RebelinSteel]

Also an hour is fairly normal especially in the summer

[RebelinSteel]

@AviatorTom ref 30 mins on the M25, that is not even a delay, the usual is an hour or so

[Jrg98]

Yes but in the end I sat patiently. It was a house fire and the old man that lived there lost his wife in the fire…

[Nikki1989]

Yes, many times in different cities around the world.

[jahaims]

I had a commute for a few months that was 4 hours of traffic to travel 60ish miles.

[ArrowheadSW]

Numerous times. I think the longest was 4 hours and it was due to snow, where it normally does not snow.

[msc545]

6 hours once on the 405 freeway (CA) due to an accident.

[DrPepper12]

3.5 hour stand still on I95 for fatality accident investigation. What a clusterfuck that was!

[mandyfire98]

Yes, going through Atlanta once.

[juliammm]

My record is 14 hours

[Meropatrick]

For 3 hours