On opposite sides of the country, for completely different reasons, folks were stuck in traffic on Saturday.
So who had it worse, the motorists caught in this weekend’s “Jamzilla” in the LA area, a planned shutdown of three lanes of northbound Interstate 405 for a widening project? Or was it the drivers creeping along snow-buried Interstate 95 in Connecticut?
California transportation officials admit they were trying to get the public’s attention by dubbing the 405 project Jamzilla. Previous projects were called “Carmageddon” and "Carmageddon II"for that reason – and it seemed to help in reducing traffic.
This time ramp and lane closures started at 7 p.m. Friday, and all northbound lanes of one of the nation’s most-congrested freeways were to be closed overnight Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Reopening was expected Tuesday morning at 6 p.m.
Traffic moved well through the area early Saturday, as many motorists heeded the warnings to steer clear, but by afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reported that delays were growing.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, traffic along I-95 was crawling near New London, Conn., amid the latest snowstorm to dump on the Northeast. State police reported lots of accidents and cars stuck or disabled along the highway.
And winter storm warnings were in effect for parts of Connecticut into Sunday.
So who's the biggest loser in the traffic sweepstakes this weekend? Guess that depends on whether you're stuck in the middle of one of the jams or watching from the comfort of your easy chair at home.