Fourth of July celebrations will deliver their annual dose of chaos to downtown D.C. on Thursday as roads, bridges and other areas close and transit options change.
Around noon, the National Independence Day Parade will bring a procession of bands, floats, military and specialty units, and celebrities that will block a stretch of Constitution Avenue NW. Thousands will fill the National Mall in the evening to watch the annual fireworks display, which the National Park Service claims will be “one of the most spectacular in recent memory."
Here’s what you need to know to get around D.C. on Thursday, July 4.
Roads closed 4 a.m. to about midnight
Public screening entrance
First-aid station
NORTH
Route 50 ramps and roads in the area of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial will be closed from 3 p.m. to midnight.
Arlington
National
Cemetery
Inbound bridge traffic to Constitution Ave.
will be diverted to
E St. Expressway.
Roosevelt br.
110
Memorial
Circle
VIRGINIA
27
ARLINGTON
MEM. BR.
Southbound and northbound GW Parkway ramps to 14th Street Bridge closed from 3 p.m. to midnight.
E ST.
EXPWY.
D.C.
1
Potomac
River
3
SECURE AREA
2
RESTRICTED
AREA
WWII Memorial will close
at 4 p.m.
(No entry)
395
14th st. br.
Tidal Basin
White
House
3
15th ST. NW
East
Potomac
Park
395
CONSTITUTION AVE. NW
Washington
Channel
Metro
Center
INDEPENDENCE AVE. SW
Maine ave. SW
JEFFERSON dr. sw
MADISON DR. NW
Waterfront
395
Nationals
Park
S. CAPITOL ST. SW
U.S.
Capitol
Union
Station
2,000 FEET
All roads within secure perimeter closed 4 a.m. to about midnight.
1
All visitors are required to enter via security screening entrances.
2
The Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial will be closed.
3
Roads closed 4 a.m. to about midnight
Public screening entrance
First-aid station
All visitors are required to enter via security screening entrances.
All roads within secure perimeter closed 4 a.m. to about midnight.
Inbound bridge traffic to Constitution Ave. will be diverted to E St. Expressway.
E ST. NW
Roosevelt br.
VIRGINIA
CONSTITUTION AVE. NW
SECURE AREA
MADISON DR. NW
U.S. Marine Corps
War Memorial
U.S.
Capitol
RESTRICTED
AREA
ARLINGTON
MEM. BR.
Lincoln
Memorial
JEFFERSON dr. sw
(No entry)
Route 50 ramps and roads in the area of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial will be closed from 3 p.m. to midnight.
INDEPENDENCE AVE. SW
Memorial
Circle
S. CAPITOL ST. SW
The Washington
Monument will be closed.
WWII Memorial will close at 4 p.m.
The Lincoln
Memorial will be closed.
OHIO DR. SW
395
110
Potomac River
395
Maine ave. SW
14th st. br.
Jefferson
Memorial
M St. SW
Arlington
National
Cemetery
395
Southbound and northbound GW Parkway ramps to 14th Street Bridge closed from 3 p.m. to midnight.
East
Potomac
Park
2,000 FEET
Roads closed 4 a.m.
to about midnight
Public screening entrance
First-aid station
Foggy Bottom/
GWU
Gallery Place/
Chinatown
McPherson
Square
Farragut
West
23RD ST. NW
Metro
Center
14th ST. NW
15th ST. NW
All visitors are required to enter via security screening entrances.
White
House
Union
Station
Inbound bridge traffic to Constitution Ave. will be diverted to E St. Expressway.
9TH ST. NW
Rosslyn
E ST.
EXPWY.
E ST. NW
All roads within secure perimeter closed 4 a.m. to about midnight.
Federal
Triangle
Archives
VIRGINIA
PENNSYLVANIA AVE. NW
CONSTITUTION AVE. NW
Roosevelt br.
SECURE AREA
U.S. Marine Corps
War Memorial
MADISON DR. NW
Washington
Monument
U.S.
Capitol
RESTRICTED
AREA
Lincoln
Memorial
ARLINGTON
MEM. BR.
JEFFERSON dr. sw
(No entry)
Route 50 ramps and roads in the area of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial will be closed from 3 p.m. to midnight.
Smithsonian
INDEPENDENCE AVE. SW
S. CAPITOL ST. SW
The Washington Monument will be closed.
Federal
Center
Memorial
Circle
Capitol
South
WWII Memorial will close at 4 p.m.
The Lincoln Memorial will be closed.
L’Enfant
Plaza
395
OHIO DR. SW
110
Jefferson
Memorial
395
Maine ave. SW
Arlington
National
Cemetery
Navy Yard-
Ballpark
Pentagon North
Parking Lot
Waterfront
14th st. br.
M St. SW
395
Southbound and northbound GW Parkway ramps to 14th Street Bridge closed from 3 p.m. to midnight.
Washington
Channel
27
East
Potomac
Park
Nationals
Park
Pentagon
2,000 FEET
Metro rides will be free after 5 p.m. Thursday
Thousands will inundate Metrorail stations as they head to the Mall for Fourth of July festivities. Beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday, the Metro will offer free rides on all rail and bus lines and on paratransit services. Parking in Metro-owned garages and lots will also be free.
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The waived fares will be in effect until midnight, when the rail system closes. Metrorail fare gates will be open and riders will not need SmarTrip cards to use the transit system.
Metro is increasing service on some rail lines all day to relieve congestion. The Red Line — four of whose stations are shuttered for summer construction — will offer trains every six minutes. Other train lines will operate on normal schedules until 5 p.m. Then Orange, Blue and Silver line trains will arrive every 10 minutes, and Green and Yellow line trains will operate every six minutes.
The agency warns that the Smithsonian Metrorail station could become overcrowded after fireworks end, and suggests riders use nearby stations, including Metro Center, Federal Triangle, Archives, Gallery Place and Union Station. The Foggy Bottom station, which is also nearby, could become “entry only” after the fireworks to prevent congestion. The Arlington Cemetery station, another alternative to the Smithsonian, will be open until 11 p.m.
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Metrobus riders who use the following lines should consider using Metrorail instead, as the buses will travel through tough-to-navigate routes that could cause delays on Thursday: 16E, 38B, 33, 32, 36, 42, 43, 52, 64, 70, 74, 79, 90, 92, G12, G14, P6, S2 and X2.
Access to the Mall
There will be four public entry points for visitors on foot directly to the Mall, open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.:
- 17th Street SW, just south of the World War II Memorial
- 15th Street NW at Madison Drive NW
- 15th Street SW at Jefferson Drive SW
- Constitution Avenue NW between 23rd Street NW and Henry Bacon Drive NW
Two other access points do not lead directly onto the Mall:
- East Basin Drive at Inlet Bridge, west of the Jefferson Memorial
Fireworks can also be viewed from these locations along George Washington Memorial Parkway:
- U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial and Netherlands Carillon
- Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on Lady Bird Johnson Park (Access to the Potomac riverfront is possible via the bike/pedestrian tunnel that runs underneath the Boundary Channel Bridge, a.k.a. the “Humpback Bridge”)
- Gravelly Point, north of Reagan National Airport
- Washington Sailing Marina at Daingerfield Island
Road closures
The following roads will be closed from 4 a.m. Thursday to around midnight, according to the National Park Service:
- Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington Memorial Circle, to and including Lincoln Memorial Circle
- 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 from Constitution Avenue to Lincoln Memorial Circle
- Daniel Chest French Drive SW from Independence Avenue SW to Lincoln Memorial Circle
- Lincoln Memorial Circle and all approaches and ramps into and out of Lincoln Memorial Circle, including Henry Bacon Drive NW, 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 15th Street NW
- 23rd Street SW from Independence Ave SW to Lincoln Memorial Circle and Constitution Avenue to Lincoln Memorial Circle
- 17th St NW from Constitution Ave NW to Independence Ave SW
- Homefront Drive SW
- 15th Street NW from Constitution Avenue NW to Independence Avenue SW
- Raoul Wallenberg Place SW to Maine Avenue SW
- Independence Avenue SW from 14th Street SW to 23rd Street SW, including the merge with Rock Creek Parkway
- Ohio Drive SW from 23rd Street SW to Inlet Bridge
- Madison Drive NW from 15th Street NW to 3rd Street NW
- Jefferson Drive SW from 15th Street SW to 3rd Street SW
- East Basin Drive SW east of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial to Ohio Drive SW
- West Basin Drive SW from Ohio Drive SW to Independence Avenue SW
- Ramp from southbound and northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway to Memorial Avenue
- Ramp from northbound Virginia Route 110 to Memorial Avenue
- Ramp from Virginia Route 27 to Memorial Avenue
- The right lane of northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway from the 14th Street Bridge to Theodore Roosevelt Island
The following routes are closed from Thursday at 3 p.m. to around midnight:
- Eastbound Route 50 ramps to George Washington Memorial Parkway and roads in the immediate area of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial
- Southbound and northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway ramp to 14th Street Bridge
- Access to East Potomac Park from I-395 will be by National Park Service permit only after 4 p.m.
Concurrently, the District will close several streets for parades across the city:
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The following streets will be closed for the Palisades Parade from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.:
- MacArthur Boulevard from Whitehaven Parkway to Arizona Avenue NW
- Edmunds Place from Sherier Place to MacArthur Boulevard NW
- Sherier Place from Edmunds Place to Dana Place NW
The following streets will be closed for the Barracks Row Parade from 8 a.m. to noon:
- 8th Street SE from Pennsylvania Avenue to Virginia Avenue
- D Street from SE 7th Street to 8th Street
The following streets will be closed for the Takoma Park Parade from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
- Carroll Street NW from the D.C.-Maryland border to Maple Street NW
- Maple Street NW from Carroll Street NW to the D.C.-Maryland border
The 3rd Street Tunnel will remain open for travel into and out of the city.
Site closures
The following sites will be closed or operate with alternate hours over the Fourth of July:
- The National Mall will be closed between 14th Street and the Lincoln Memorial from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday for a security sweep. Visitors who enter the area after 1 p.m. will be screened.
- The Lincoln Memorial, including the steps and access ramp, will be closed on July 4.
- The Washington Monument will close at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3, and reopen at 9 a.m. on Friday.
- Access to the 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 it from Independence Avenue after 8 p.m. Access will be available from West Basin and Ohio drives.
- The World War II Memorial will close at 4 p.m. Thursday. Cleanup of the memorial will begin immediately following the fireworks show and the site will open after cleanup is complete.
- Paddle boats at the Tidal Basin will not operate Thursday.
- Big Bus Tours will not operate on the Mall on Thursday.
- The D.C. Circulator’s National Mall route will not operate Thursday.
- East Potomac Tennis Center will close at 3 p.m. Thursday.
