D.C. digs out from record snowstorm

Washington-area commuters returned to work Monday morning with few problems, following the weekend storm that brought roughly 16 inches of snow to the region.

Most roads were cleared by Sunday, and the region’s Metro subway system — the second largest in the country — was fully operational, following about 36 hours of delays and some station closings.

Air travelers faced the biggest headaches Monday morning. Though most runways were clear and planes were flying, passengers were delayed by the backlog of canceled flights along the East Coast.

“We’re up and running but still seeing some delays,” said Courtney Mickalonis, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which runs the Washington Dulles International and Reagan National airports in Northern Virginia.

Ms. Mickalonis said “it could take a few days” before air travel returns to normal.

“This was a major storm that impacted airports up and down the coast,” she said. Reagan’s major runway is open, and three of Dulles’ four runways are clear.

The morning commute around the nation’s capital was made a little easier because federal agencies were closed and many school districts already had begun their winter break.

Local transportation agencies said they expect to keep snow- and ice-removal operations running at least through the morning on roads that are expected to freeze overnight, making driving especially hazardous.

“The snow may have stopped, but Maryland State Highway crews remain in force,” highway administration spokeswoman Lora Rakowski said, explaining that state crews and contractors were shifting Sunday from plowing roads to removing snow and clearing highway ramps and secondary roads.

She said Prince George’s and Montgomery counties were hit harder by the storm than other parts of the state and their crews remained on standby. The snowstorm set 2-feet-in-one-day records throughout the Northeast.

On Sunday the U.S. Office of Personnel Management announced that federal offices would be closed Monday for nonessential workers only.

D.C. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Karen LeBlanc said that traffic already would probably be light, with city schools on winter break and many people on vacation for the holiday season. The District of Columbia was expected to lift its state of emergency at 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Miss LeBlanc said the District continued to work on snow and ice removal Sunday and was preparing for a refreeze after the sun began melting snow but temperatures dropped back below freezing in the evening. She said main roads were clear, many side roads were being cleared and there would be “relentless plowing” overnight.

“We’ve been hitting it pretty hard all day,” Miss LeBlanc said.

Main roads also were cleared overnight in Northern Virginia, and crews were working on secondary roads, commuter parking lots and subdivisions along Interstate 95.

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