There is Hope

Inauguration Day is a day of hope. Not just for our new president and for the country, but for those trying to get to the Inauguration.

Everyone is focused on Metrorail which of course will be packed to capacity and beyond. But there is hope in the form of extra buses to get to the Mall area. Metro today announced special Inauguration Metrobus service. The special service will run from 4 am until 9 pm on 23 special bus corridors.

In Arlington, the following Metrobus routes will have special service running approximately every 10 minutes:
3S - East Falls Church Station to Potomac Park via Lee Highway and T.R. Bridge
38S - Ballston Station to Potomac Park via Wilson Blvd. and T.R. Bridge
16S - Columbia Pike/Penatgon to SW DC via 14th St. Bridge
7S - Landmark/Shirlington to SW DC via hirley Highway and 14th St. Bridge
13 & 13B - Crystal City, Pentagon City and the Pentagon to 13th & C Streets SW via 14th St. Bridge

Please note: These are special routes for Jan. 20 and they do not follow their regular routes. See http://www.wmata.com/getting_around/metro_events/inauguration_bus.cfm for info. Also see Arlington County's website for detailed travel information from different areas within Arlington.

Metrobuses will cross the bridges to take people closer to the Mall area.

Arlington Transit - ART will also run modified Sunday service from 6:00 am until 8:00 pm on the following routes:
41 - West Columbia Pike, Ballston Common Mall to Courthouse (20 mins)
51 - Ballston Station to Virginia Hospital Center (35 mins)
53 - Ballston Station to North Arlington to East Falls Church (30 mins)
42 - Ballston to Pentagon (30 mins)
ART 90P Pedestrian Shuttle – Special Inauguration Day service from the Crystal City and Pentagon City Metrorail stations to the Memorial Bridge. There will be two buses operating on this route, with the frequency depending on traffic congestion. UPDATE 1/17/09: This shuttle has been cancelled due to traffic restrictions on Memorial Drive. In its place, a new special Inauguration route of Metrobus 13 & 13B, will take passengers from Crystal City, Penatgon City and the Pentagon into DC via the 14th Street Bridge.

Visit the special ART Inauguration page for updates on ART bus service for January 20.

UPDATE 1/16/09: All Northern Virginia Metrobuses and ART buses are free on January 20.

So if you live along any of these bus routes you have a few choices: take a Metrobus across a bridge and get a little closer to the Mall area; take a Metrobus to a Metrorail station; or take an ART bus to a Metrorail station or one of the special Metrobus route stops that will take you across a bridge.

Any of these options will still require waiting, crowding, patience, good moods, and lots of walking. But remember, there is hope.

Bobbi Greenberg is Marketing Director for Arlington County Commuter Services in Arlington County's Department of Environmental Services