Washington, DC

Commuters Should Expect Traffic Delays During the Holiday

In preparation for Independence Day, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is advising participants to please take notice of the following advisories that will impact travel in the city on both Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4, 2015.
 
Lane and Construction Restrictions Lifted

DDOT has lifted the District's rush-hour reversible lane restrictions on Friday, July 3. In addition, DDOT opened non-emergency travel lanes and sidewalks that were temporarily closed for construction or maintenance work from 3 pm on Thursday, July 2 to 7 am on Monday, July 6, 2015. Construction zones with concrete barrier and orange barrels will remain in place.
 
Additionally, all lanes have been reopened on the 16th Street Bridge over Military Road NW, until Monday, July 6, when travelers can expect short-term, off-peak single-lane closures on northbound and southbound 16th Street NW, and eastbound and westbound Military Road, NW.
 
Parking

Parking restrictions will be enforced Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4 along Constitution Avenue, from 7th to 17th Street, NW, in support of the annual parade. Emergency No Parking signs will be enforced.

Meter, Residential Parking Permits and other parking restrictions in areas outside of the Nationals Park, Constitution Avenue and the DC Armory/RFK Stadium neighborhoods will not be enforced on either July 3 or 4.

Parking throughout the area around the National Mall will be extremely limited on July 4. DDOT has posted emergency no parking signs on the affected streets. Due to the extremely heavy pedestrian crowds anticipated for the Independence Day-related events, motorists are encouraged to exercise extreme caution when traveling in these areas. DDOT advises those who are planning to attend the Mall events to use public transportation.
 
Public Transit Information

Residents and visitors are encouraged to take public transportation on July 4. Metrorail will operate on rush-hour service levels before and after the fireworks. Metrobus will operate on a Saturday schedule and some routes will be detoured around the National Mall. For more information about Metro service on July 4, please visit Metro's July 4 service information release.

The DC Circulator bus routes will operate regular weekday service hours and frequency on all routes. The National Mall route will operate from 7 am to 8 pm on Friday, July 3, but will not operate around the National Mall on July 4. For more information, please visit dccirculator.com. DC Circulator also uses Next Bus and it can be found on the RideDC app.  

Capital Bikeshare will provide a bike corral at the 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW station to handle the large number of riders expected to use the system to visit the National Mall. The corral will be made available from 12 pm to until one hour after the fireworks are over. For more information, please visit capitalbikeshare.com.
 
July 4 Street Closures

The streets around the National Mall will be closed from 6 am until 10:30 pm. The 9th Street Tunnel and the 12th Street Tunnel will remain open except during the Independence Day parade, which will begin around 11:45 am and will end approximately 2 pm.
 
The following streets will be closed on July 4:

•  Memorial Bridge to Memorial Circle on the Virginia end of the bridge;
•  Rock Creek Parkway south of Virginia Avenue to Lincoln Memorial Circle, including all ramps;
•  Lincoln Memorial Circle and all ramps into and out of Lincoln Memorial Circle, including Henry Bacon Drive and Daniel French Drive;
•  Ramp from Theodore Roosevelt Bridge to Constitution Avenue and Ohio Drive;
•  Inbound traffic on I-66 will be directed to the "E" Street Expressway;
•  Constitution Ave from 23rd Street to 14th Street;
•  19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd  Streets between Constitution Avenue and 18th Street;
•  C and D Streets from 17th to 18th Streets ;
•  15th Street, NW, from E Street, NW, south to Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW;
•  Raoul Wallenberg Place, S.W. to Maine Avenue , SW;
•  Independence Avenue, west of 14th to 23rd streets, including merge with Rock Creek Parkway;
•  Madison Drive from 15th Street to 3rd Street;
•  Jefferson Drive from 15th Street to 3rd Street;
•  7th Street between Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue;
•  4th Street between Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue;  
•  Ohio Drive, SW, from the Inlet Bridge to Independence Avenue; and
•  West Basin Drive, SW from Ohio Drive, SW to Independence Avenue, SW

Streets will be closed from approximately 11 am until approximately 10 pm at the following locations:

•  3rd Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Maryland Avenue; and  
•  14th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Independence Avenue until after the fireworks.

Streets will be closed from 6 am to approximately 9:45 pm at the following:  

•  East Basin Drive at Ramp to 14th Street Bridge to Inlet Bridge will be closed to all vehicular traffic.

The National Mall’s Public Entry Access points on July 4 open at 10 am. The following access points are available on the National Mall and Memorial Parks Access on July 4:

•  West entrance, or George Washington Memorial Parkway side of Memorial Bridge
•  Constitution Avenue and Henry Bacon Drive
•  17th Street and Constitution Avenue
•  15th Street and Constitution Avenue
•  14th Street, at Jefferson Drive, SW
•  14th Street, at Madison Drive, SW
•  Maine Avenue and Raoul Wallenberg Place, (i.e. formerly 15th Street)
•  East Basin Drive, just south of the Jefferson Memorial (visitors will not be able to access the National Mall from this access point)
•  East Basin Drive at Inlet Bridge

George Washington Memorial Parkway Access points:

•  US Marine Corps War Memorial and Netherlands Carillon (no access to National Mall);
•  Memorial Circle (access to National Mall via Memorial Bridge restricted to pedestrians only);
•  Columbia Island/Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove (no access to Potomac Riverfront or National Mall);
•  Gravelly Point, north of National Airport (no access to National Mall);
•  Washington Sailing Marina at Daingerfield Island (no access to National Mall);  

In addition to the events on the National Mall, RFK Stadium on East Capitol Street, NE will be having an event with gates opening at 9 am on July 4.  

The Washington Nationals will start first pitch at 11:05 am at Nationals Stadium on South Capitol Street, SE. Expect heavy traffic around these locations. Parking meters will be enforced on game day. Use public transportation whenever possible.  
 
Safety

DDOT and its regional partners remind pedestrians and motorists to obey all traffic laws, including crossing at designated crosswalks and following the directions of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and other law enforcement personnel. DDOT will deploy the Traffic Control Officers (TCOs) to assist with the flow of traffic and pedestrian movements around the Mall.
 
Tips for Motorists:

•  Always obey the directions of police officers and TCOs at intersections.
•  When leaving parking garages or lots near the Mall after the fireworks, be prepared to stop and yield to people on the sidewalk. They have the right of way and there will be many of them.
•  Drive slowly and cautiously on streets near the Mall after the fireworks. The sidewalks are not large enough to accommodate the number of pedestrians exiting the Mall and people will be walking in the street for several blocks near the Mall.
•  Remember that drivers turning right or left at intersections must stop and give right of way to pedestrians legally in the crosswalk. Under DC Law, failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk is punishable by up to a $250 fine and three points on your license.

Tips for Pedestrians:

•  Always obey the directions of police officers and TCOs at intersections.
•  Wait for the Walk signal and watch for turning vehicles.
•  Obey the pedestrian signals rather than the vehicle signals. There may be a turn arrow for drivers.
•  Cross at signal-controlled intersections whenever possible.