Heres your guide to navigating July 4th traffic, transit and events
If you are planning to attend the July Fourth festivities on the Mall on Wednesday, here are some things you need to know to ease your travel.
Car travel will be especially difficult for people coming into the District from Virginia. Many roads around the Mall will be closed from early morning Wednesday until late at night. Street parking near the Mall will be close to impossible.
If you’re taking transit, please note that Metro will operate 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (Keep reading for more details.)
Here are some highlights of the planned road closings that are listed in detail below: Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington Memorial Circle on the Virginia side of the bridge, Rock Creek Parkway south of Virginia Avenue NW to Lincoln Memorial Circle and approaches, the ramp from the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge to Constitution Avenue NW, Constitution Avenue NW between 23rd and 14th streets.
The Mall will open to the public at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Entry will be restricted to specific points, where you will be subject to security checks. The list of prohibited items includes: alcohol, glass containers and personal fireworks. No firearms are allowed.
See this map for the Mall access points and other information on travel to central Washington.
Here is the schedule for July 4 events around the Mall and Capitol grounds
- National Independence Day Parade — 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m., Constitution Avenue NW from Seventh to 17th streets NW
- Capitol Fourth Concert — 8 to 9:30 p.m., West Lawn, the U.S. Capitol
- Fireworks display — 9:09 to 9:27 p.m., the Mall, with viewing areas from many locations in the District and Northern Virginia.
Other events
Nationals game. The Washington Nationals are scheduled to play the Red Sox at 11:05 a.m. at Nationals Park.
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Palisades Parade. The lineup for the neighborhood parade begins at 10 a.m. and the parade starts at 11 a.m. from Whitehaven Parkway and MacArthur Boulevard NW. The marchers go northwest on MacArthur, turn left on Edmunds Place and left on Sherier Place, then right into the Palisades Recreation Center.
Capitol Hill Parade. The parade participants line up at Eighth and I streets SE. The parade begins at 10 a.m. and ends at noon.
Other parades and fireworks. There are plenty of shows across the entire region. See them in the Going Out Guide’s July 4 event calendar.
SoberRide
Lyft will be offering free rides to deter impaired driving during the holiday as part of the 2018 Independence Day SoberRide program, which runs from 7 p.m. Wednesday until 4 a.m. Thursday. The promo code to get a ride will be posted at 5 p.m. Wednesday at www.soberride.com. The deal covers one trip up to $15.
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D.C. parking rules
Meter, residential parking permit and other parking rules will not be enforced Wednesday in areas outside of the Nationals Park, Constitution Avenue and the D.C. Armory/RFK Stadium neighborhoods. Parking along the parade route will be prohibited.
Metro schedule
The Fourth of July is one of the busiest events of the year for Metro. The biggest crowds will be in the evening, around fireworks time. But with events all day long, riders should expect crowded platforms and trains. Make sure to load your SmarTrip card in advance to avoid potentially long lines at the station. Parking at Metro lots and garages will be free all day, and off-peak fares will be in effect all day. Here are details of the Metro service:
Metro: The train system will be open from 7 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. Trains will run every 12 minutes until approximately 6 p.m., then gradually increase service to near rush-hour levels before and after the fireworks show on the Mall. Don’t bring bikes or large coolers on board.
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The Smithsonian station will be open all day. Smithsonian is the closest station to the Mall, but it gets very crowded during big events, especially on Independence Day. You can choose to exit at another station within walking distance of the Mall. Among them are: Federal Triangle, Metro Center, Gallery Place, Archives, L’Enfant Plaza and Federal Center SW.
Metro has not scheduled track work for the holiday but there is an important change in the Yellow Line schedule: beginning at 6 p.m., trains will operate only between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square. Travelers going north of Mount Vernon will need to use the Green Line to complete their trip.
Metrobus. The bus system will be on a Saturday schedule. Watch for detours on the routes near the Mall because of all the street closings. These are the routes that operate near the Mall: 30N, 30S, 32, 36, 52, 54, 74.
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Other transportation options:
D.C. Circulator. The National Mall route will not operate on July 4. But other routes run close to the Mall area.
Water taxi. The Potomac Riverboat water taxi service to the National Mall will not operate.
July 4 road closings
This is the long list, compiled by the National Park Service.
Closings from 6 a.m. to about 10 p.m.:
- Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington Memorial Circle on the Virginia end, to and including Lincoln Memorial Circle in the District
Rock Creek Parkway south of Virginia Avenue NW to Lincoln Memorial Circle, including all approaches and ramps - Parkway Drive from Rock Creek Parkway to Lincoln Memorial Circle
- Henry Bacon Drive NW
- Daniel Chester French Drive SW
- Lincoln Memorial Circle and all approaches and ramps into and out of Lincoln Memorial Circle, including Henry Bacon Drive N, Daniel Chester French Drive SW, 23rd Street NW and 23rd Street SW
- Ramp from Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge to Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW and Ohio Drive SW; all inbound traffic from the bridge will be directed to the E Street Expressway
- Constitution Avenue NW from 23rd Street NW to 14th Street NW
- 7th Street NW from Constitution Avenue NW to Independence Avenue SW
- 4th Street NW from Constitution Avenue NW to Independence Avenue SW
- 15th Street NW from E Street NW south to Raoul Wallenberg Place SW
- 17th Street, NW from E Street NW south to Independence Avenue SW
- 18th Street NW between Constitution Avenue NW and Virginia Avenue NW
- 19th Street NW from Constitution Avenue NW to C Street NW
- 20th Street NW from Constitution Avenue NW to C Street NW
- 21st Street NW from Constitution Avenue NW to C Street NW
- 22nd Street NW from Constitution Avenue NW to C Street NW
- Virginia Avenue NW from Constitution Avenue NW to 18th Street NW
- C Street NW from 17th Street NW to 18th Streets NW
- D Street NW from 17th Street NW to 18th Street NW
- Raoul Wallenberg Place SW to Maine Avenue SW
- Independence Avenue SW from 14th Street SW to 23rd Street SW, including merge with Rock Creek Parkway
- Madison Drive NW from 15th Street NW to 3rd Street NW
- Jefferson Drive SW from 15th Street SW to 3rd Street SW
- Ohio Drive, SW from the Inlet Bridge to Independence Avenue, SW
- West Basin Drive SW from Ohio Drive SW to Independence Avenue, SW
- East Basin Drive SW east of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial to Ohio Drive SW
- Ramp from southbound and northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) to Memorial Avenue /Circle
- Ramp from northbound Va. Route 110 to Memorial Avenue/Circle
- Ramp from Va. Route 27 to Memorial Avenue/Circle
- The right lane of northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway from the 14th Street Bridge to Theodore Roosevelt Island.
Closed from 11 a.m. until approximately 10 p.m.
- 3rd Street from Pennsylvania Avenue NW to Maryland Avenue SW
- Constitution Avenue NW from Pennsylvania Avenue NW to 14th Street NW
- 14th Street NW from Pennsylvania Avenue NW to Independence Avenue SW
- Right lane of northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway from the 14th Stree Bridge to Theodore Roosevelt Island
Closed from 3 p.m. July 4 until midnight July 5
- Eastbound U.S. Route 50 ramps to the George Washington Memorial Parkway and roads in the immediate area of U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial;
- Southbound GWMP ramp to 14th Street Bridge (9–9:45 p.m. as necessary)
- Northbound GWMP ramp to 14th Street Bridge (9–9:45 p.m. as necessary)
Memorials partially closed
- The World War II Memorial will close at 4 p.m. on July 4 as part of the fireworks safety zone. Cleanup of the World War II Memorial will begin immediately following the fireworks show and the site will open as soon as the cleanup is complete.
- Access to Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial will be limited after 8 p.m. The memorial will remain open, but the public will not be able to access the memorial from Independence Ave. after 8 p.m. Access will be available from West Basin and Ohio Drives.
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