Icy storm hinders travel, voting on the East Coast

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Winter’s latest delivery of misery slid across the East Coast after icing over parts of the Ohio Valley, snarling primary-day voting, delaying air travel and causing dozens of traffic accidents.

Up to 4 inches of snow and sleet was forecast for northwestern New Jersey before it was expected to change over to rain today. A bridge over the Delaware River near Philadelphia closed during evening rush hour so crews could spread salt, and speed limits were lowered on others.

“Things got ugly really quickly,” said New Jersey State Police Sgt. Stephen Jones. Vehicles slid off Interstate 295 in southern New Jersey, and other highways were shut down, he said.

In Maryland, a bus slid on ice and hit a pickup truck, sending 17 people to hospitals, authorities said. Their conditions were not immediately known. There were seven accidents within a quarter-mile of that crash, police said.

The National Weather Service issued an ice storm warning through 7 a.m. today for the Washington and Baltimore regions. Forecasters said at least a quarter-inch of ice could build up on roads and sidewalks.

Maryland extended its polling hours by 90 minutes in Tuesday’s primary because the weather created gridlock in areas, preventing people from voting.

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendell extended Tuesday’s deadline for political candidates to qualify for the state’s April 22 primary until noon Thursday, citing weather concerns.

The storm delayed air travel in the New York area, with flights into LaGuardia late by an average of two hours. Snow was expected to turn to sleet and freezing rain. The system also dropped snow in the Midwest, where about 450 flights were canceled and all were delayed at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.