Traffic Flowing Again At LaGuardia Airport After Hundreds Stuck In Massive Gridlock
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Traffic was moving again at LaGuardia Airport Tuesday after hundreds of drivers were stuck in gridlock for hours Monday night, causing many to miss their flights.
Vehicles were seen on both sides of the streets leading in and out of the terminals and along the Grand Central Parkway.
The problems started around 6 p.m. Monday when delayed flights resumed following the weekend's blizzard. Passengers flying in and out of the airport flooded the area.
"There were probably 500 people or more trying to get cabs," said Richard Glickstein of Westchester. "I jumped on the bus. It took us an hour to get out of the airport at the Delta terminal."
When u hit standstill traffic @ #Laguardia and run the parkway to your flight. #StillMadeIt #Dedication #JonasWho? pic.twitter.com/B6JbQ1R8Zt
— The Design Gym (@TheDesignGym) January 26, 2016
Very lucky to have gotten out of #LaGuardia tonight No cabs allowed 4 hour wait Walk across bridge to Queens cabs there #MakeOffer
— Fred Karger (@fredkarger) January 26, 2016
This is the worst traffic ever. Stay away from #laguardia airport at all costs. 2 hours and haven't gone 500 feet. pic.twitter.com/baxHZvM2ko
— Sheldon Bratton (@sjb082001) January 26, 2016
Traffic from the evening commute made matters even worse. People were stuck in traffic for up to five hours and driving out of the airport was impossible.
Some said they even go out of their buses and cabs and walked for at least 30 minutes to try to make their flights.
"We had to cross the bridge to get down here so it was really bad traffic," Micaela Enriquez from Kansas, who didn't make her flight, told CBS2's Ilana Gold.
Others sitting in the mess recorded what they had to deal with.
"We've been stranded at LaGuardia Airport for about four hours," one man said. "We dropped off Raul around 6:30, it's 10:21 -- we still can't get out. He took off and landed already. He's already home."
Those who missed flights were back at LaGuardia Tuesday with tickets for new flights home. Furious passengers are now demanding answers.
"I was just thinking to myself is this really possible? Couldn't New York do something better," said Merly Saus from Texas, who said she's been trying to home since Thursday.
But some passengers said flights are now full because of the storm and they might not be able to get out Tuesday after missing their flights Monday night.
A Port Authority spokesperson blamed the jam on a number of different factors, including congestion on the Grand Central Parkway along with a car fire earlier in the day and a rush of passengers arriving and leaving storm delayed flights, Gold reported.
The NYPD said LaGuardia and the Port Authority wasn't prepared for the crowds and didn't plan ahead for traffic control.