DC Commute Improving, But Still Slow

WASHINGTON, D.C. - It's the nightmare that never seems to end for drivers. Snow is still causing trouble tonight for workers headed home. Road conditions are slowly improving but rush hour is not nearly back to normal. Based on traffic, its taking people and at least and extra 30 minutes or more to get to or from work.

In D.C., Maryland and Virginia, snow clearing continues but many areas are still bottlenecked because of lanes covered in snow. Although most main roads are almost done, giant piles of snow are making visibility a problem as well as people walking in the streets. All those things combined are slowing everything down.

The evening rush hour began mid-afternoon from the Beltway down Georgia Avenue in Maryland. Cars were backed up as far as you could see. Getting around was tough on everyone.

In the District, the gridlock wore on weary drivers. In a rush to get across an intersection, one man nearly hit a front-end loader clearing snow.

"It's really jammed up now," said one driver stuck in the back up.

Howard Bracey says his 15-minute drive across town to work took three times as long.

"There's so much snow I don't even know where they're going to put it. It's still bad," he said.

Until road crews showed up Wednesday at North Capitol and Missouri Avenue, one lane was still blocked. Traffic cameras showed another miserable morning rush hour. Slow going from Virginia, bumper to bumper in DC, and no break in Maryland either where crews cleared roads sometimes at the expense of drivers during rush hour.

"The alternative is to take those eight hours off a day and not do anything and then you lose a whole third of a day. On one hand you've got half the folks telling us you got to go out and do this 24 hours a day, and then you've got the other folks saying I don't want you to inconvenience me," said Dave Buck with the Maryland State Highway Administration.

In D.C., the city's goal is to return major roads to normal by Thursday. Don't expect neighborhood streets cleaned curb to curb. With cars in the way and gigantic snow piles, the city doesn't have the man power, equipment and resources to dig everyone out.

"The fact of the matter is it's just so overwhelming," said D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1).

It's not ideal but, "What can we do?" said Charlie Ramrattan.

He's not frustrated yet, but says the city needs to do better clearing the main roads. What's reasonable to get this done?

"I say by this week," Ramrattan said.

Now in Maryland, highway crews that are going on 24 straight days are switching gears from snow to potholes.

"By and large, we're turning our crews to potholes and another storm on the way next week," said Buck.

In the District, snow removal crews have been working around the clock. Councilmember Graham says he's getting fewer complaints now about plowing and more about the noise caused by snow clearing at night.