Sounds like doom...............


So in a one hour period, the D.C. area lost the use of its (at that time) busiest airport, busiest expressway, and busiest subway line. The (by far) widest/busiest bridge from D.C. to Virginia closed, and the one rapid rail transit line from D.C. to Virginia closed. This was a true area-wide transportation disaster, a major chunk of the air, highway, and rail system closed.
From "Series of Disasters Paralyzes Capital Area at Rush Hour", The Washington Post, January 14, 1982: "The series of disasters locked tens of thousands of commuters in a monumental traffic jam yesterday afternoon and into the night. Scores of drivers, confused and frustrated that their normal routes home were blocked and bridges snarled with traffic, simply walked away from their cars. Many motorists waited in bars and checked into Washington hotels. The 14th Street Bridge, the major traffic artery into the city from Virginia, will be closed today while officials continue their investigation, salvage and damage assessment efforts in the wake of the airplane crash. Inbound traffic on I-395 will be funneled over Memorial Bridge. Metro officials explained that the Blue and Orange Lines, which carry traffic into the city from Virginia, will terminate at McPherson Square. The same lines bringing passengers into the District from New Carrolton and Addison Road in suburban Maryland, will end at the Federal Center Southwest Station. Busses will be used to ferry passengers between McPherson Square and Federal Center Southwest while crews work on the damage to the line near the Smithsonian Station".