With the closure of every bridge leading into Washington from Virginia and the subsequent closure of the inbound lanes of Interstate 66 and I-395, getting downtown for Tuesday’s inauguration could be tough — but not impossible.
All car traffic on I-95 will be diverted onto the Capital Beltway at Springfield, and traffic on I-66 will be diverted onto the beltway near Merrifield.
Washington officials said there will be little if any parking available in the city on Tuesday.
No matter how you plan to get there, follow this handy guide with everything you need to know about getting into the city and getting back.
OmniRide bus
OmniRide commuter buses will begin running for free at 4 a.m. from commuter lots in Woodbridge and Lake Ridge.
Free buses will also run from the parking lots of the Manassas and Woodbridge campuses of Northern Virginia Community College.
From 4 until 9 a.m. all OmniRide commuter buses will take riders to the Springfield and West Falls Church Metro stations.
From 9 until 3 p.m. OmniRide buses will begin circulating riders from points in Prince William County to the Springfield and West Falls Church Metro rail stations.
From 3 until 9 p.m. OmniRide busses will transport riders from the Springfield and West Falls Church Metro stations back to points in Prince William County.
All rides on OmniRide buses to and from Metro stations will be free on Tuesday.
Parking in the commuter lots and at the community college campuses will also be free.
OmniRide’s Linton Hall and Manassas Metro Direct buses will not operate.
OmniRide’s regular Springfield Metro Direct bus from Woodbridge will operate as normal Tuesday.
Regular fares will be charged on OmniRide’s Cross County Connector bus and on all local OmniLink buses.
Once riders board Metro trains they will be charged peak rush hour fares to ride.
OmniRide officials are warning riders in advance to expect delays due to higher volumes of traffic on the roads.
Riders can catch free OmniRide buses bound for Metro at the following locations:
Lake Ridge
- Commuter lot on Old Bridge Road and Gordon Boulevard (Va. 123) – Riders will be taken to Springfield Metro
- Commuter lot at Interstate 95 and Va. 123 – riders will be taken to Springfield Metro
Manassas
n Northern Virginia Community College, 6901 Sudley Road – Riders will be taken to West Falls Church Metro
*OmniLink local buses will not serve this location Tuesday
Woodbridge
- Northern Virginia Community College, 15200 Neabsco Mills Road – Riders will be taken to Springfield Metro
*OmniLink local buses will not serve this location Tuesday
- Horner Road Commuter Lot (Prince William Parkway at I-95) – Riders will be taken to Springfield Metro
Metrorail
Metrorail will operate rush hour service for 17 consecutive hours, from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., and will stay open two extra hours until 2 a.m.
The system will charge $4 for parking at its facilities and is expected to be the most heavily used transportation alternative for people who are planning to attend the inauguration.
Metro officials expect extremely crowded conditions on Inauguration Day. Metrorail stations and trains will be packed as people head to the inauguration, and expect to see even tighter conditions afterward.
The system is encouraging riders to purchase all day rail passes, at a cost of $7.80, through Monday. The cost of the passes will go up to $10 on Tuesday.
Riders will not be allowed to bring bicycles onto into the rail system on Tuesday.
Metro said there is no overnight or reserved parking in their parking lots.
Stations closed Tuesday
- Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter station on the Green and Yellow lines; reopens at 6:30 p.m.
- Smithsonian station on the Blue and Orange Lines; reopens at 6:30 p.m.
- Judiciary Square station on the Red Line will close at 4 p.m.; reopens at 5 a.m. Wednesday
- Mt. Vernon Sq 7th St-Convention Center station on the Green and Yellow lines will close at 7:30 a.m.; reopens at 5 a.m. Wednesday
Metro Bus
There are bus options for those who will already be inside the Capital Beltway on Tuesday, or for those who plan to cross into Maryland to get to the inaugural.
Metro Bus will be running express service shuttles from the Landmark Mall in Alexandria and RFK Stadium in Washington.
Landmark bus
Commuters wanting to the use the Lankmark Mall bus will need to use back roads from U.S. 1 to reach the mall, but the buses will use I-395 and the 14th Street Bridge to transport riders into Washington.
Metro’s 7S bus will serve Landmark Mall and drop passengers across the river in Washington, at C Street SW.
RFK bus
If drivers should choose to brave the Capital Beltway on Tuesday, crossing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and getting onto Interstate 295 to RFK Stadium is another option.
Metro’s D6 bus will operate non-stop shuttle service from the stadium’s north parking lot to D Street SW.
Virginia Railway Express
When Virginia Railway Express announced in December they would run special inaugural trains on Jan. 20, they told would-be passengers would have to purchase advance tickets to ride.
Those tickets sold out last week, but for those who have them, Virginia’s only commuter rail service is expected to be an easy option for getting to the inauguration.
VRE operates two lines – one from Manassas and one from Fredericksburg.
The first trains leave the Fredericksburg and Broad Run stations just after 5 a.m. Tuesday.
A total of six trains on both lines are expected to bring passengers to L’Enfant Plaza or Union Station in Washington.
Northbound morning service will stop at 9:20 a.m.
During the afternoon exodus from the city, VRE will run six more trains bound for Virginia, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Those trains will run from Union Station to Fredericksburg and Manassas.
Southbound evening service on will run until about 8 p.m.
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