Inauguration Transportation Plan Calls for Road Closures, Restricted Zones
Events and activities celebrating the 56th Presidential Inauguration will take place beginning on Saturday, Jan. 17, through Wednesday, Jan. 21, with the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20. Security and transportation plans for the inaugural have been developed by a partnership of local, state and federal law enforcement and public safety agencies, including the District Department of Transportation, the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Virginia State Police, the Maryland Department of Transportation, the United States Secret Service, the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the United States Capitol Police, and the United States Park Police.
This transportation plan provides the general outlines for road closures, vehicular restricted zones, public transportation, charter vehicles, and pedestrian routes. Additional information is available online for residents of the D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, as well as charter operators, through the Web sites listed at the end of the full news release. Additions to the plan may be made prior to the inaugural and will be updated on the Web sites. Specific questions regarding this transportation plan should be directed to the participating agencies identified. Access into Washington, D.C., will be limited on Jan 20. A complete listing of the restricted areas can be found in the full press release posted at http://inauguration.dc.gov/pdf/InaugJIC_PressRelease_TransportationPlan_FINAL.pdf.
Public transportation to all inaugural events is encouraged as many streets in and around the Capitol and the Mall area and bridges into/out of the city will be closed to private automobiles for much of the day. Metrorail will operate rush-hour service for 17 consecutive hours on Jan. 20, from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., and will operate on a non-rush hour schedule for two extra hours until 2 a.m. As Metrorail will be operating rush-hour service, it will charge peak fares throughout the day. Due to security measures, the Archives-Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter Metrorail station on Metro's Green and Yellow Lines and the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines, will be closed all day on Inauguration Day.
Metro's commemorative One-Day Pass with a special inauguration design is currently being sold for $10 online or $7.80 at Metro sales offices and fare vending machines. The cost of the passes will be $10 at all sales locations on Jan. 20. People should purchase their farecards, One-Day Passes, or SmarTrip cards in advance of Inauguration Day if possible to avoid the lines.
Metro has about 60,000 parking spaces in 29 lots and 22 garages throughout the Washington region for private motorists to park on Inauguration Day. Metro will charge $4 cash only for motorists as they pull in to park in its lots. The Minnesota Avenue Metrorail station parking lot is closed to the public and is only available for Metro employees who will be working on Inauguration Day.
Metrobus will be operating on a modified Saturday schedule from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Inauguration Day. However, with street closures around the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue for the parade, all Metrobuses will be prepared for detours. Bus riders are encouraged to plan significant extra time to travel through these areas. MetroAccess will operate identical hours to Metrorail and Metrobus during Inauguration Weekend and through Inauguration Day. MetroAccess customers are encouraged to plan significant extra time to travel due to increased traffic throughout the service area. Street closures around the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue for the Inauguration and parade on Inauguration Day will mean that MetroAccess vehicles will only be able to drop off customers several blocks from the Inauguration and parade route. MetroAccess vehicles will not be permitted access to streets that are closed. All MetroAccess users should be prepared for detours. MetroAccess customers must reserve their trips by 4:30 p.m. the day prior to travel.
People planning to use Metro during the four days of Inaugural activities can sign up for special e-alerts on Metro's Web site at
www.wmata.com/inauguration. E-alerts will be issued when Metro has news relating to service for the Inauguration and when there may be service disruptions.
There will be 10 official inaugural balls, hosted at the Washington Convention Center, the National Building Museum, Union Station, the D.C. Armory, and the Washington Hilton. Emergency No Parking zones and some road closures will be in effect near each of these locations.