1 toilet for every 6,849 people on Inauguration Day

WASHINGTON - When you gotta go, you gotta go.

But will there be enough places to "go" on Inauguration Day?

Crowd estimates for Jan. 20 range between 1 and 5 million people.

Metro is planning to carry upwards of 1 million riders itself on Inauguration Day, but the transit agency says it will shut down all of its public restrooms due to security concerns.

Instead, 146 portable restrooms will be set up outside of selected rail stations.

Even if the transit agency carries 1 million people on Jan. 20 -- and that could be a conservative estimate -- that means there would be one bathroom for every 6,849 customers.

The National Park Service tells WTOP it is awaiting word from the Presidential Inaugural Committee to see how many portable restrooms need to be set up on the National Mall.

"They are in the process of formulating that plan and we will support what they ask of us," Park Service spokesman Bill Line says.

Regardless of how many portable restrooms will be available, most museums on the Mall plan to be open on Inauguration Day. Regular hours for the museums are between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

As of right now, the Renwick Gallery on 17th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue is the only museum scheduled to be closed, due to its proximity to the White House.

Whether or not the museums are ready for a potential "restroom crush" on Inauguration Day is a different story.

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