As weather worsens, motorists seek shelter at rest stops
October 30, 2012 ·
As conditions worsened Tuesday morning, effects of the storm could be felt as far west in the state as Parkersburg.
Thomas Burke, an attendant at a rest stop south of Parkersburg on Interstate 77, said it’s been a slow day thus far and
that he’s noticed less traffic on the roads as compared to a normal day.
“It’s been kind of hampered and the traffic has been really
slow. It’s due to the cold weather and the
snow of course. They were calling for
one to three inches today. It’s been
sticking in some place and in some not. We’ll see how the day progresses,” said
Burke.
One of the few travelers stopping by this rest stop was William Zolondek, a truck driver from Illinois who picked up in Mechanicsburg,
Pennsylvania and was headed to Ripley in Jackson County. Zolondek said he
became aware of blizzard conditions to the east and was forced to head west
before traveling south on I-77.
“I guess Mother Nature has forced me to take the best route
possible to avoid it. If you go further
east they’re saying there’s like two feet of snow up to the mountains. That was
the route I was supposed to take. As a matter of luck, I was forced to take the
right route,” said Zolondek.
South of the rest stop at mile marker 167 on
I-77 South, road conditions have become increasingly slick. Snow and slush has started to accumulate on
the interstate and roads in the surrounding area.