Driver Shares Account Of Interstate Gridlock
Man Stuck In Traffic For 9 Hours
Updated: 7:56 am CST February 8, 2008
- Images: See Images Of I-90 Backup
MADISON, Wis. -- The gridlocked conditions on Interstate 39-90 Wednesday night tested hundreds of drivers as they waited for hours for help.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportOne driver, Pete Freeman, shared with WISC-TV his experience being stuck in the interstate backup."I had always heard stories about closing highways in North Dakota and blizzards. I just never thought I would be stuck like that in Wisconsin," Freeman said.The Stoughton man said he headed out Wednesday to work at his Janesville restaurant despite his wife's protest."I told her I needed to be here because I'm the managing partner; I need to make decisions and find out how bad it really is in Janesville," Freeman said.But Freeman said it didn't take long for him to realize that his wife was right."It felt like an eternity," Freeman said of the commute.And on his way back home, things became dicey."(Traffic) stopped about 1:30 (p.m.), and I called my wife and said, 'I'm in stop-and-go traffic.' At about two o'clock, I put the car in park and realized I'm not going anywhere," Freeman said.Freeman said he spent the next nine hours stuck on the interstate."The snow drifts between the vehicles were up to the bumper. And I was smart enough to put a shovel in a van, thinking, 'If I get stuck, I'm going to dig myself out,'" he said.Tom Gimmer, who lives just off I-90, said he saw nothing but a long stretch of parked cars."Yeah, it was pretty scary. Those people were sitting out there for a long time," Gimmer said. "The entire bridge was stopped traffic. You can see nothing but lights, but running lights or parking lights just up and down the hill. So, they didn't move for a long time.""At about 10:30 (p.m.), we just started moving. And I drove all the way into Madison and never saw a sign of a police officer or National Guard or anybody," Freeman said.Freeman said he arrived home around 12:30 a.m. Thursday and that he learned something very important from the ordeal."When my wife says, 'Don't go,' I need to listen," he said.While southbound traffic on I-90 was relatively clear Thursday afternoon, traffic on northbound lanes was still running a little slow Thursday evening as crews continued to collect abandoned cars.Those cars will be staged at State Patrol weighing stations along the interstate.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportOne driver, Pete Freeman, shared with WISC-TV his experience being stuck in the interstate backup."I had always heard stories about closing highways in North Dakota and blizzards. I just never thought I would be stuck like that in Wisconsin," Freeman said.The Stoughton man said he headed out Wednesday to work at his Janesville restaurant despite his wife's protest."I told her I needed to be here because I'm the managing partner; I need to make decisions and find out how bad it really is in Janesville," Freeman said.But Freeman said it didn't take long for him to realize that his wife was right."It felt like an eternity," Freeman said of the commute.And on his way back home, things became dicey."(Traffic) stopped about 1:30 (p.m.), and I called my wife and said, 'I'm in stop-and-go traffic.' At about two o'clock, I put the car in park and realized I'm not going anywhere," Freeman said.Freeman said he spent the next nine hours stuck on the interstate."The snow drifts between the vehicles were up to the bumper. And I was smart enough to put a shovel in a van, thinking, 'If I get stuck, I'm going to dig myself out,'" he said.Tom Gimmer, who lives just off I-90, said he saw nothing but a long stretch of parked cars."Yeah, it was pretty scary. Those people were sitting out there for a long time," Gimmer said. "The entire bridge was stopped traffic. You can see nothing but lights, but running lights or parking lights just up and down the hill. So, they didn't move for a long time.""At about 10:30 (p.m.), we just started moving. And I drove all the way into Madison and never saw a sign of a police officer or National Guard or anybody," Freeman said.Freeman said he arrived home around 12:30 a.m. Thursday and that he learned something very important from the ordeal."When my wife says, 'Don't go,' I need to listen," he said.While southbound traffic on I-90 was relatively clear Thursday afternoon, traffic on northbound lanes was still running a little slow Thursday evening as crews continued to collect abandoned cars.Those cars will be staged at State Patrol weighing stations along the interstate.
Previous Stories:
- February 7, 2008: Officials Defend Handling Of Massive Interstate Backup
- February 7, 2008: Traffic Moving On I-90 After Overnight Backup
- February 7, 2008: Doyle Calls Out Guard To Help Stranded I-90 Motorists
- February 6, 2008: Winter Storm Slows Commute Across Southern Wisconsin
Copyright 2008 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
