WASHINGTON – Memorial Day weekend events continue Monday and travelers will want to be aware of various holiday-themed events around town, including the Memorial Day Parade, which will close Constitution Avenue on Monday afternoon.
While most long-term road projects will be put on hold to accommodate holiday travel volume, track work will continue on parts of the Metrorail system. Six Metro stations on the Red and Orange lines will be closed.
Rolling Thunder Weekend Closures
Groups of motorcyclists will be riding on roads around the metro area throughout the weekend. According to its mission statement, Rolling Thunder is “a demonstration for service members that were abandoned after the Vietnam War” that strives keep the issue in the public eye.
Their big event, the First Amendment Demonstration Run wrapped up Sunday.
However, Thunder Alley took over 22nd Street NW, north of Constitution Avenue throughout the weekend. The closure of 22nd Street will not have a direct impact on traffic. Vendors will continue to offer food and official merchandise Monday between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Memorial Day Wreath Laying/Parade
The National Wreath Laying Ceremony will take place at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery at 11 a.m. Monday. Expect motorcades, motorcycles and delays along Washington Boulevard and on the George Washington Parkway near the Potomac River Bridges during and after the ceremony.
For more information on the ceremony, click here.
Following a separate ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the National Memorial Day Parade will kick off from 7th Street NW at Constitution Avenue around 2 p.m. The parade will march westward on Constitution Avenue between 7th and 23rd streets from 2 to 5 p.m. The staging area will block 7th Street near The Mall.
All associated street closures for the parade should be clear by 6 p.m.
There will be many other events across the region during the holiday weekend. Some of the parades will block streets and bring about localized congestion. See WTOP’s 2013 Memorial Day events around the region for a rundown of the festivities.
Metro Track Work
Since Monday is a federal holiday, Metro will continuing its track work through system closing on Monday night.
Two segments of the Red and Orange lines will be closed. Free shuttle buses will ferry riders around the work zones, but Metro says some customers could experience delays of up to 40 minutes.
Red Line
- Buses replace trains between Shady Grove and Twinbrook.
- Shady Grove and Rockville stations will be closed.
- Buses riders should expect a 10- to 20-minute delay.
Consider driving to/parking at Twinbrook, White Flint or Grosvenor instead of Shady Grove.
Orange Line
- Buses replace trains between Vienna and Ballston.
- Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church stations will be closed.
- Express buses will run directly between Vienna and East Falls Church, while local buses will stop at all four stations.
- Delays of up to 25 minutes are possible for customers on express buses and up to 40 minutes on local buses.
- Trains run at normal intervals between Ballston and New Carrollton.
Memorial Day Traffic and Transit Changes
Since Monday is a federal holiday, morning travel should be easier than usual. It won’t take long for the volume to build on I-95 in Virginia and on Route 50 on the Eastern Shore in Maryland, though. Traffic may slow on I-70 east and I-270 south through Frederick County, Md., during the afternoon hours.
There are no guarantees about alternate routes. The bailout traffic will often saturate the most popular work-arounds when the main thoroughfare slows down. Here are some of the most common alternatives to the some of the most heavily traveled routes on holiday weekends.
Metrorail will open at 7 a.m. on Monday and close at midnight. Metro trains and buses will operate on a Sunday schedule.
There will be no MARC or VRE service on Monday.
In Washington, reversible roads and lanes will remain in two-way mode, as they would during off-peak hours. This includes Canal Road, Clara Barton Parkway, Rock Creek Parkway, Connecticut Avenue and 16th Street.
Parking restrictions for residential zones, rush hour lanes and metered spaces will be suspended citywide except near Nationals Park.
Nationals at Home vs. Orioles
The Nationals will host the Baltimore Orioles at 1:05 p.m. Monday. Delays will be possible on South Capitol Street. If you’re taking the Metro to Navy Yard, there is no scheduled track work on the Green Line this weekend.
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