WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps Marathon is one of the most celebrated road races in the Washington region and also one of the most disruptive to traffic.
The Sunday racecourse for runners and the obstacle course for drivers hasn’t changed much since last year. The major affected routes include Va. 110, the northbound George Washington Parkway, the Key Bridge, Rock Creek Parkway and avenues near the Tidal Basin.
The marathon will keep many roads closed in Arlington, Northwest and Southwest Washington on Sunday from early morning through late afternoon but some roads will reopen sooner than others.
The race starts near Arlington National Cemetery at 7:55 a.m. The first 4 miles of the race stay in Arlington, which means the closures of Lee Highway, Spout Run Parkway and the northbound lanes of the George Washington Parkway. Those roads should also be the first to reopen.
Memorial Bridge and Va. 110 will remain closed throughout the race as they are closest to the finish festival.
Driving in Georgetown is always challenging on the morning of the marathon. From Key Bridge, runners will head east on M Street toward Wisconsin Avenue.
D.C. police plan to block off portions of Canal Road and Foxhall Road near MacArthur Boulevard to keep inbound traffic away from the runners on M Street and K Street. Drivers should consider using streets north of Prospect Street such as Reservoir Road to get around.
The Rock Creek Parkway will be closed entirely. The long-term closure of Beach Drive and the usual bicycle closure near Maryland means that nearly the entire scenic byway through Rock Creek Park will be closed to traffic through at least noon. Drivers should consider taking Massachusetts Avenue, Calvert Street or Connecticut Avenue to cross above the park.
From the Rock Creek Parkway, the “Marathon of Monuments” courses past the Lincoln Memorial and around Hains Point on Ohio Drive. The small roads and parking lots in East and West Potomac Parks are closed. But drivers will be able to access the East Potomac Park Golf Course and Tennis Bubble using the ramps from the Southeast-Southwest Freeway.
From Hains Point, the race winds alongside the Tidal Basin. Independence and Maine avenues are off-limits to drivers for much of the day. Regular, weekend drivers are accustomed to occasional closures of these two routes.
The loop around the National Mall means that all the numbered streets crossing it are closed for much of the day. This is one of the few annual events that closes every street across the Mall. All of the tunnels under the Mall are open. Although the 12th Street Expressway will remain open during the race, inbound traffic will likely be heavy through the tunnel given the numerous road closures.
Traffic on Interstate 395 is usually slow between the 14th Street Bridge and the 3rd Street Tunnel during the marathon. The runners use the I-395 Express Lanes to cross the Potomac River toward Crystal City. This can cause rubbernecking delays on both sides of I-395. Lower 14th Street above the Tidal Basin outlet, often confused with the 14th Street Bridge, will be closed through early afternoon.
The race wriggles through Crystal City on Army-Navy Drive, Crystal Drive and Boundary Drive before heading runners toward Va. 110 and the finish line. Va. 110 and streets on the south side of Rosslyn such as Lynn Street and Wilson Boulevard are scheduled to remain closed through 6 p.m.
Major closures
- Memorial Bridge and Key Bridge — 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Rock Creek Parkway — 6 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- George Washington Parkway Northbound between Memorial Bridge and Va. 123 — 6:30 a.m. to noon
- Spout Run Parkway — 6:30 a.m. to noon
- Lee Highway Eastbound between N. Kirkwood Street and Lynn Street — 6:30 a.m. to noon
- M Street NW between Canal Road NW and Wisconsin Avenue NW — 7 a.m. to noon
- Canal Road NW between M Street NW and Reservoir Road NW — 7 a.m. to noon
- Foxhall Road NW between Canal Road NW and MacArthur Boulevard NW — 7 a.m. to noon
- Independence Avenue between Maine Avenue and Ohio Drive — 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Maine Avenue between I-395 and Independence Avenue — 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- 14th Street SW between the National Mall and I-395 — 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Va. 110 between I-66 and U.S. 1 — 3:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Va. 27/Washington Blvd. between I-395 and Memorial Bridge — 5 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Major routes remaining open
- Wisconsin Avenue north of Prospect Street
- Chain Bridge
- George Washington Parkway Southbound
- I-66 and the Roosevelt Bridge
- Constitution Avenue
- I-395
- 12th Street Bridge
- 3rd Street Tunnel
Other road and street closures
- Wisconsin Avenue between M and K streets NW— 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- K Street NW between Wisconsin Avenue NW and Rock Creek Parkway NW — 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- 27th Street NW between K and I streets NW — 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- I Street NW between 27th Street NW and Virginia Avenue NW — 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Lincoln Circle between 23rd Street NW and 23rd Street SW — 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Ohio Drive SW at West Potomac Park — 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- 12th Street between Army Navy Drive and Crystal Drive — 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- East Basin Drive between Maine Avenue and Ohio Drive — 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- 15th Street between Constitution Avenue NW and Maine Avenue SW — 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 3rd Street between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Maryland Avenue SW— 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 4th Street between Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW — 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 3rd Street NW and Peace Circle — 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 1st Street between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Maryland Avenue SW —7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 3rd and 1st streets NW —7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Maryland Avenue SW between 1st and 3rd streets SW — 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Shoreham Drive NW between Calvert Street and Rock Creek Parkway NW — 6 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- I-395 HOV Lanes between 14th Street SW and the Pentagon — 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Marshall Drive between N. Meade Street and Va. 110 — 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- N. Meade Street between Marshall Drive and Lynn Street —3:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Wilson Boulevard between N. Nash Street and Va. 110 — 3:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Lynn Street between N. Meade Street and Lee Highway — 3:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Fort Myer Drive between N. Meade Street and Lee Highway — 3:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- N. Moore Street between Wilson Boulevard and Lee Highway — 3:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- 19th Street N between Lynn Street and N. Nash Street — 3:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Boundary Channel Drive between Va. 110 and Long Bridge Drive — 4:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Jefferson Drive SW between 3rd and 15th streets SW — 5 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 7th Street NW between Madison Drive NW and Jefferson Drive SW — 5 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Long Bridge Drive between 12th Street and Boundary Channel Drive — 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- 10th Street S between Long Bridge Drive and S. Ball Street —7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- S. Ball Street between 10th and 6th streets S — 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- 6th Street S between Long Bridge Drive and S. Ball Street —7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- S. Eads Street between S. Rotary Road and Army Navy Drive — 5 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Army Navy Drive between S. Eads and 12th streets S — 5 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Crystal Drive between 12th and 26th streets —7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Capital Bikeshare
Several Capital Bikeshare stations in Arlington, Virginia will be closed Sunday, from midnight to 5 p.m. Bikes will not accepted nor will they be made available at the following stations:
- Wilson Boulevard and Ft. Myer Drive
- North Meade Street and 14th Street North/Iwo Jima
- Lynn Street and 19th Street North
- Crystal Drive and 20th Street South
- 6th Street South and South Ball Street
- Lee Highway and North Kirkwood Road (reopening at noon)
In an email, officials with the bike sharing service said extensive street closures brought on by the marathon would have made it difficult for staff and vehicles to access stations in D.C. and Arlington. They have advised bike users to check Spotcycle before beginning a trip.
WTOP’s Tiffany Arnold contributed to this report.
