Friday’s traffic trifecta: It could get ugly out there

WASHINGTON — Friday could bring the perfect storm of traffic to D.C.

The afternoon will see those trying to get out of town for the weekend meeting those observing Yom Kippur and Nats fans heading to a playoff game.

“So were going to have a lot of people heading out of town, heading toward Nationals Park and trying to get home in time before sundown,” says WTOP Director of Traffic Operations Jim Battigliese.

He also says it’s not just going to be jammed on the roads but on Metro.

“People are not going to be expecting large crowds on Metro during evening rush hour, during the afternoon. All of a sudden there’s going to be a lot of fans wearing red Nats jerseys jumping on the trains.”

His advice for Nationals fans: Get to the game an hour early or you’re probably going to end up getting there late when something slows you down.

If you’re not a Nats fan, he says, “Realize there is a game. Try to avoid going down near Nationals Park and avoid the Southeast and Southwest Freeway.”

And remember the Jewish holiday: “Anywhere there’s a synagogue, you’re going to have a lot of people heading out for services, so keep that in mind as well,” he says.

“Just trying to head through parts of Northwest D.C., there are a lot of synagogues, and a lot of people trying to park and trying to get to the synagogue on time.”

Additionally, D.C. United plays Sporting Kansas City at 8 p.m. Friday.

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