Highways have reopened after Gov. Larry Hogan ordered the immediate closure of the entire 34.7-mile length of I-270 and I-70 from I-81 in Washington County to the Baltimore Beltway Saturday.
The highways were to remain closed until 7 a.m. on Sunday to all motorists except for emergency personnel. The closures follow snow related traffic incidents involving several tractor trailers and other vehicles on both interstates.
Hogan, in a news release Saturday evening, said, "Closing I-70 and I-270 will give us the time needed to deploy all our resources to clear these essential interstates as quickly as possible as we prepare to get our transportation network back up and running."
Hogan urged Marylanders to stay off every road in the state. He said, "Stay safe and stay at home while crews do their jobs."
The blizzard has brought much of the East Coast to a standstill and shut down the nation's capital. At least 18 deaths have been blamed on the weather, resulting from car crashes, shoveling snow and hypothermia.
ABC2 News contributed to this report.
