Posted on 02/17/2007 7:43:22 AM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(AP) PHILADELPHIA -- Gov. Ed Rendell on Friday apologized for the state's lackluster response to a massive traffic backup on Interstate 78, saying that hundreds of motorists became stranded Wednesday and Thursday because of an "almost total breakdown in communication" among state agencies.
Calling the situation "totally unacceptable," Rendell announced an investigation into what went wrong, including why it took until 6 p.m. Thursday to close all ramps onto I-78 in eastern Pennsylvania. That was more than 24 hours after the worst of the Valentine's Day storm had passed, leaving 50 miles of jammed traffic in its wake.
"Everyone involved in the state response was a state employee and therefore I am to blame," Rendell told a news conference in Philadelphia. He tapped James Lee Witt, the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to help lead the review.
The mea culpa was an abrupt reversal for Rendell, who had insisted on Thursday that state government responded properly to the storm and that "Mother Nature is the only one to blame," as spokeswoman Kate Philips put it.
The interstate was finally clear of trucks and cars Friday but the highway remained shut down indefinitely as crews struggled to remove ice and snow from the road surface.
State Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler said I-78, as well as large portions of I-81 and I-80, would remain closed so crews and salt trucks could attack the icy mixture that coated the pavement and hardened as overnight temperatures plummeted. He could not say when the highways would reopen.
"The challenge now has been dealing with a number of iced-over areas. It's really a struggle to break those up," PennDOT spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick said Friday afternoon.
State officials have said they could not have prevented the colossal jam that stranded motorists for up to 24 hours, a potentially deadly situation made worse by frigid temperatures and fierce winds.
Several jackknifed tractor-trailers stacked up traffic, and even after they were cleared, the big rigs behind them were unable to get any traction and got stuck themselves, state police said.
PennDOT estimated that at one point there were hundreds of stuck tractor-trailers. Some trucks were stranded by road conditions, while others ran out of fuel or their fuel froze.
And, as the backlog lengthened, plows were unable to get through.
"PennDOT was overwhelmed by conditions," Catherine Rossi, a spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said Friday. "No one seemed to recognize the magnitude or take charge."
Her comments were echoed by state lawmakers from both parties. House Republican Leader Sam Smith called the state's response "deplorable" and announced hearings. The Senate also planned hearings and created an e-mail address, stormresponse@pasen.gov , for motorists who were stuck on I-78 to send their comments.
State Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, said PennDOT officials should be quicker to shut down interstates when the weather dictates. He called for a statewide communications system to alert commercial truckers when such a decision is made, coupled with fines or other sanctions for truckers who ignore warnings to stay off.
State Rep. Jennifer Mann, who was stuck on I-78 for more than five hours Wednesday, ticked off a list of complaints: The road surface was not plowed, it took hours for the state to respond to the backlog, and even when help arrived, passenger cars were not diverted off the highway as quickly as they might have been.
"I'm not a traffic engineer," said Mann, D-Lehigh. "My job is to hold these folks accountable and force an evaluation here, not for the purpose of placing blame but for the purpose of understanding what went wrong so something like this never happens again."
Motorists who unwittingly blundered into the jam said they didn't have any warning of the backup ahead of them. New Jersey's transportation department, on the other hand, had electronic message signs advising drivers to avoid Interstate 78 when they crossed into Pennsylvania.
The communications breakdown extended all the way to the governor's office. Rendell said he didn't learn of the situation until 8 p.m. Wednesday, about seven hours after traffic began stacking up.
"I haven't gotten an acceptable answer and that ticks the heck out of me," Rendell said.
Not everyone found fault with PennDOT.
"There was such a high volume of traffic, and between the snow and the ice, I'm not sure anybody could have done anything better," said James Runk, president and chief executive of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association.
Another weather-related accident closed both directions of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Lancaster for several hours Friday. Ice from a westbound tractor-trailer apparently flew into the windshield of an eastbound tanker truck, which overturned, injuring the driver, said turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo.
The tanker was carrying 1,800 gallons of xylene, a highly flammable chemical that is used in the manufacturing of paints, rubber, adhesives and plastics, DeFebo said.
A little late, Eddie. At least he can be chauffered in a plane.
This is what happens when people rely too much on government. Nanny state can't take care of you all the time. A little ice and snow and the state is apologizing. Geesh. Then they wonder why taxes are so high. Connect the dots idiots.
Does anyone know how to post an image of a map of the affected area? Thank you.
In this case, the state might have done a better job mitigating the effects of this snow storm, but there's a trend in the public perception of holding government responsible for natural events. It all seemed to have started a few years back with the heat wave in Chicago that killed 50 people, and more recently with the hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This perception reinforces the notion of an infinitely capable caretaker government with infinite resources, if only it was more competently run. More fodder for the concept of the nanny state.
The worst part of this mess was that only minorities were stranded out there for hours.
This will give him an excuse to raise taxes.
Thanks Eddie. That makes it OK.
When Democrats go bad...
The good people of Pennsylvania are getting what they paid for.
What happens when you pick your highway managers on the basis of the political support they give you.
I am amazed that FEMA has not been blamed and there is no mention of George's Fault. So ... if such a large area of weather disaster is the state's problem in Penn., why wouldn't the same apply to Louisiana?
Fast eddie never needs an excuse to raise taxes, he just does it and dances later.
What they are not reporting is the fact that Fast Eddie stop the use of private contractors and layed off 25% of the Penn dot workers some months ago.It was to save money to be used on other social programs.He gambled and lost.
...don't forget the women and chilrun
Where was Sean Penn in his SUV trying to rescue people?
A typical dim response to a crisis.
"Where was Sean Penn in his SUV trying to rescue people?"
He couldn't get it started. Nobody put the plugs in.
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