We’re just curious if anyone else was stuck in (or saw) the traffic jam that we were in. It was on Thurs. Nov. 14 just north of Ft. Worth on southbound I-35. Just as we passed the Golden Triangle Blvd exit about 11:30 am, we saw signs that said there was construction at Basswood Blvd about 4 mi ahead and to expect delays. Just after that, traffic slowed quite a bit. We got to Heritage Trace Parkway and thought about getting off, but the service road was really stacked up. Since the traffic on the highway was still moving a little bit and because we were not familiar with the arterial roads, we chose to stay on the freeway. Then just after that exit, everything came to a standstill. The next exit was 2 miles away, and it literally took us 2 hours to get there (no exaggeration!). We couldn’t imagine why construction was allowed to bring traffic to a standstill on a major freeway. There should always be some way to keep cars moving. Even if they were channeling vehicles down into one lane, traffic should have moved faster than it was. By this time many cars were driving across the median to get to the service road, but we could not do that in the motorhome. When we finally got to the Hwy 287 exit, we had had enough and got off, but any road going south was still really stacked up, so we took 287 back to the north until the traffic thinned out, and then we wound our way around until we finally got down to Loop 820 on the west side of Ft Worth. That detour took us 45 min., but we felt like it was the right decision because at the time we got off, Basswood was still 2 mi. (and probably 2 hours) away, and then we had no idea just how long it would take to drive through the actual construction area. We could have been stuck many more hours. However, the detour meant that we never got to see what the big hold up was. We thought there might also have been a wreck, but we never heard anything on the news about it. So my question is: was anyone else in that mess and/or did you see what caused it?
QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Nov 19 2013, 01:12 PM) [snapback]35298[/snapback] We’re just curious if anyone else was stuck in (or saw) the traffic jam that we were in. It was on Thurs. Nov. 14 just north of Ft. Worth on southbound I-35. By this time many cars were driving across the median to get to the service road, but we could not do that in the motorhome. So my question is: was anyone else in that mess and/or did you see what caused it? We were not in that particular jam but a few years ago, when I was younger and stupider, the traffic was backed up on I-35 northbound due to construction. A few cars were pealing off over the median to get to side roads and we decided to take our 33' motorhome on this path as well. We made it, but we almost high-centered. There are traffic jams throughout the country at all times of the day and night due to construction. Most of the time, if we're not in a hurry, its nice to be able to sit back and creep along with the traffic, knowing you can have your spouse get you a cold drink or a hot coffee while you wait.
QUOTE(Fitzjohnfan @ Nov 19 2013, 03:24 PM) [snapback]35299[/snapback] Most of the time, if we're not in a hurry, its nice to be able to sit back and creep along with the traffic, knowing you can have your spouse get you a cold drink or a hot coffee while you wait. Don't forget, what goes in must come out, but even for that eventuality you're well equipped with a motorhome in a traffic jam…..
This is when having a CB comes in handy. Situations like this is about the only time we tun ours on. You can usually get a good picture of what is going on and get a hint which will be the fastest lane,
If in a traffic jam like that watch the 18 wheelers. They have radios and the truckers headed the other way keep them informed on which lane is moving better. Stay in the lanes the trucks are in and you will most likely move faster.
Yes, a CB is a valuable tool, and yes, we do keep an eye on the truckers to see which lane they are moving to. Both of these are good tips. It was just so frustrating to be caught between exits and not be able to do anything for 2 hours. However, we eventually made it through the mess, but we had to make an unplanned extra stop for fuel, and when we finally got to I-20 we decided to stop for the night which was also unplanned. We stopped a little earlier in the afternoon than usual, but we really needed to get off the road for our mental health. We drove by a great park west of Ft Worth, and as soon as we passed it, we decided to turn around and go back. They had a spot available so all was well again.
