STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The only thing one New Dorp resident craved was a cup of coffee, but in order to get it, she was braved massive backups, stretching as long as 30 minutes, on South Railroad Avenue.
"Just got into this mess," said Mary L. "It could be a while."
Motorists who inched toward Jefferson Avenue had to deal with other drivers cutting in from Grant City and New Dorp side streets.
Emergency vehicles also struggled to navigate the path thanks to the heavy volume of drivers using the road.
Meanwhile, just a few blocks away on Richmond Road, drivers were confronted with similar issues, as well as another: Gas station lines.
Fuel was tough to find on the Island Wednesday morning and borough residents took any means necessary to get to those still pumping gas. Drivers filled the right land of Grasmere-bound Richmond, near Stobe Avenue in Dongan Hills, to pull into the Getty gas station. The lane was choked for blocks with cars coming in both directions.
"[Some of] Hylan Boulevard is out. Father Capodanno Boulevard is out. You only have Amboy Road, Richmond, and [North and South] Railroads," said driver Henry Rau, as he sat idle on South Railroad.
"It's horrendous," barked one Staten Islander, who only gave her first name, Barbara. "Just about every street is clogged."
Kella Cannizzaro, of nearby Bedford Avenue in Grant City, was spotted walking her dog. She couldn't help but stare at the traffic.
"It's unbelievable. I wish more emergency people were directing it," she said. "But I also wish more people would stay off the streets unless they really need to be on them. If you're going to sightsee, that's just not right."
-- Advance reporter Frank Donnelly contributed to this report.