“I’m frustrated, but not in serious trouble.”

That tweet came from U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine.

He was among the untold thousands of motorists trapped Monday and much of Tuesday on Interstate 95 as accidents and breakdowns during the heavy snowfall and subfreezing temperatures halted traffic in both directions on a 50-mile stretch between Ruther Glen in Caroline County and Dumfries in Prince William County.

Outgoing Petersburg Delegate Lashrecse Aird also was among those trapped as she, her husband, two sons and a dog returned from a trip to New York. Her family was halted in Stafford on the final 90-mile leg of the journey and spent more than 20 hours waiting to get clear.

Sen. Kaine posted his tweet just after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday after being stuck overnight somewhere along the clogged interstate. He apparently was able to start driving again sometime after 1 p.m. Tuesday, but slowly. More than three hours later, he issued his final tweet of the saga: “Very happy to be back in the Capital and working on voting rights legislation after 27 hours on the road.”

Sen. Kaine stated in a separate tweet that he left Richmond at 1 p.m. Monday to make the two-hour drive to Washington, only to get halted along with thousands of fellow travelers, who like him, prayed their gas wouldn’t run out and their heaters would stay on as the temperature dropped.

The senator offered praise for a Connecticut family heading home from Florida who handed out oranges during the night to fellow drivers stuck on the highway that had become a gargantuan parking lot.

In other places, helpful truckers were hailed as heroes for giving out blankets and food to the stranded motorists. Delegate Aird was among those who were critical of the situation and believed more could have been done by state officials. She tweeted that her family made it through thanks to “gas-station snacks and winter coats.” She said that a walk to a gas station at an exit that was close by made the difference.

“Nearly 32 hours later, we have made it home safely after the nightmare,” she said on social media.

The trouble began when a tractor-trailer jackknifed and blocked three lanes of the interstate. Other wrecks on both sides of the highway also forced traffic to a halt. With traffic backed up and shoulders impassable, the falling snow and other conditions made getting wreckers and other equipment in almost impossible, officials said.

Virginia Department of Transportation officials offered a general apology and pledged to thoroughly review the blockade of one of the nation’s busiest highways. However, officials noted that the snow and icy conditions made it just as much a nightmare for crews trying to clear the roadways as it was for motorists.

Between 6 and 11 inches of snow fell on the interstate and onto Washington, D.C. Adding to the trouble, temperatures dropped below 20 degrees during the night, turning the slushy material of daytime into several inches of treacherous ice.

The governor’s office said that it was not possible to get personnel, including the National Guard, on scene to distribute food, blankets and other aid. Officials said the National Guard takes at least a day to mobilize when called up in an emergency.

Based on the distance and the heavy travel, more than 10,000 cars, trucks, buses and vans are believed to have been stuck on the road.

VDOT reported crews worked through Monday night and were still at it early Tuesday afternoon trying to remove broken down vehicles. Traffic began moving slowly after at least one lane was open in both directions, but VDOT did not declare I-95 fully open in both directions until 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

VDOT noted that ordinary precautions, such as pretreating roads to prevent ice build-up, could not take place because the winter storm began with rain that would have washed away the road chemicals.