Photo: AP

The massive backups and miles of stranded motorists in northern Virginia two nights ago might remind many drivers here of some of their worse snow-related delays — but this one may have topped them all.  Thousands of drivers were stranded over a 40-mile stretch of I-95 between Fredericksburg and Washington D.C., many of them for more than 24 hours. Governor Northam came under heavy criticism from some quarters for not calling out the National Guard to help reach the stranded and clear the roadway. The governor says he opted not to because manpower was not the issue –instead, he says, it was the inability to get rescuers to where they needed to be. There have been some big-time weather-related backups and standstills over the years on Interstate 81, but this one is clearly among the absolute worst ever in Virginia. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones: