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VDOT apologizes for traffic snarl

Posted at 1:14 PM, Sep 18, 2012
and last updated 2012-09-18 13:52:08-04

HAMPTON ROADS (WTVR) - This weekend was a traffic nightmare for people in Hampton Roads, as two of the three bridges leading out of the area were closed.

Traffic was at a stand still for five hours on the only open route, Interstate 664 on Saturday.

It raised major concern among drivers over how the area would evacuate in a natural disaster if the roads were forced to shut down again. If a hurricane were coming, the governor could call for Interstate 64 east to run in the westbound direction, doubling the lanes for drivers to get  to Interstate 95. After this weekend, some people say that's not enough.

Juana Cruz, a driver stuck in the traffic mess told our Norfolk CBS affiliate, "It makes me think like whoever is in charge is just not doing a good enough job. Not for the number of people who live in this area."

The Virginia Department of Transportation says it underestimated the impact on drivers when they shut down two of the three tunnel-bridges from the peninsula to the south side. V-DOT promises Virginians it will never do that again and also issued an apology.