IndyCar drivers will be going close to 200 mph through the streets of D.C. this weekend. D.C.-area drivers near the Freedom 250 Grand Prix route have been going considerably slower.
Just how slow was Wednesday afternoon traffic?
This reporter walked along 14th Street from Constitution Avenue to Independence Avenue — a distance of a third of a mile — faster than cars were able to make the same trip.
A Metrobus took about seven minutes to travel just one block, from Constitution Avenue to Madison Drive near the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The bus sat through four cycles of red lights before making it through the intersection.
WTOP talked with drivers caught in the backup, including Nancy Marlow of Virginia, whose trip was taking more than three times longer than usual.
“This is worse than cherry blossom,” Marlow said. “I’ve been out here over an hour. This time of year, it normally takes me 20 minutes.”
Chris Caron, another Virginia commuter, works near the White House.
“This week has been a challenge, but each day is getting a lot, lot worse,” Caron said. “I’ll probably try to avoid downtown, even though I work downtown by the White House each and every day.”
One Washingtonian, sitting in a work truck, took the delays in stride.
“This is what happens when you bring the events to D.C. That’s what happens,” he said, adding that he didn’t mind.
Liem Addis of Portland, Oregon, was taking in the sights on the National Mall when she stopped and looked at all of the cars at a standstill.
“I’m so glad I’m walking here. The traffic here is just terrible,” Addis said.
DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum told WTOP the downtown traffic gridlock won’t get better anytime soon.
“Every day, especially Friday, is probably going to be even worse,” Kershbaum said. “We also have a lot of the areas open for pedestrians and for biking, but that’s also going to continue to get tighter as well.”
Kershbaum urged anyone who needs to go downtown to use public transportation.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix will be held Saturday and Sunday on a 1.66-mile course through D.C. that includes Pennsylvania, Constitution and Independence avenues.
The most extensive street closures begin Friday at 3 a.m. and remain in effect through 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Among them are the 12th Street Expressway and several ramps connecting to Interstate 395.
Some restrictions connected to the event will remain in place after the race as crews dismantle the course.
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