Key Bridge to be closed for inauguration

WASHINGTON -- Leaving the car at home on inauguration day is looking better and better. Transportation leaders now say the inbound Key Bridge will be closed to regular traffic on Jan. 20.

That means there is virtually no way for someone who wants to get into the District from Arlington to do so if he is driving his own car.

It has already been announced that the 14th Street, Memorial and Roosevelt Bridges will not be open to regular traffic during the inauguration.

Instead, these bridges will carry a mixture of motor coaches, shuttle buses and pedestrians, all trying to flock to the central core of D.C. for the ceremony.

There are still some questions about the Chain Bridge, which connects Virginia and the District. However, it also is likely that bridge will be closed.

"Even if we were to open that bridge (to incoming traffic), the traffic on the bridge would essentially shut it down anyway," Arlington County Detective Crystal Nosal tells WTOP. "We are going to have signage up saying you can't get into D.C."

Arlington officials are waiting for the official word on bridge and street closures from the Secret Service. Those announcements are expected in the coming days.

Transportation experts have been advising anyone planning to attend the inauguration to either walk or bike to the ceremony if at all possible. The other option is mass transportation. Metro, MARC, VRE and Amtrak are bracing for record crowds.

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