March For Our Lives: DC Road Closures, Traffic Alerts

WASHINGTON, DC -- An epic crowd of people, perhaps hundreds of thousands, are expected to descend on Washington, D.C. on Saturday, March 24 for the "March for Our Lives" anti-gun rally, and that means a ton of road closures.

The march -- spearheaded by survivors of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. last month -- could draw 500,000 attendees, according to the National Park Service. Here's what you need to know about road closures and the Metro if you absolutely have to get around in the District on Saturday.

Where will the march take place, and what kind of road closures can be expected?

The march is scheduled to start at noon ET. The march route will run along Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown D.C., from 3rd Street (near the front of the U.S. Capitol) to 12th Street (a few blocks from the White House and near the entrance of Trump International Hotel).

Road closures have already begun. It started with no parking in the 300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW on Thursday, and it extended farther down Pennsylvania Avenue and also on Constitution Avenue on Friday. From 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, the following roads will be closed (blue is the march route, and red are road closures):

Here is a map from the March for Our Lives website that shows a map with entry points:

What about Metro?

If you intend to use Metro and don't have a SmarTrip card, you better get one Friday to avoid having to wait in long lines. Keep in mind you can also buy them at CVS Pharmacies and Giant Food stores.

Metro will be running special rush-hour service throughout the day, and they are organizing hundreds of addition Metro staff to help out.

Trains will run every 8 minutes starting at 7 a.m. on Saturday on all Metro rail lines, which means Downtown D.C. stations will be serviced every 2-4 stations. If you're headed for the march, you're advised to leave well in advance of the noon start time as hundreds of thousands of people will make it difficult to board trains at the rally's peak.

The Federal Triangle Station will be shut down because of how close it is to the event, so use Metro Center station instead.

Metro also offered the following additional information on Saturday's service:

• Metrorail will open at 7 a.m., with trains departing end-of-line stations every 8 minutes and additional trains on the Red Line between Grosvenor-Strathmore and Silver Spring. At Downtown DC stations, trains will arrive every 2-4 minutes.
• Rush-hour service levels will continue throughout the day until approximately 6 p.m. or as ridership levels warrant.
• Off-peak fares will be in effect all day.
• Regular Saturday parking rates ($2 per vehicle) will be in effect.
• Allow additional travel time due to large crowds, long lines and full trains. Metro recommends traveling as early in the day as possible.
• Metrobus will operate on a normal Saturday schedule, with routes near Downtown DC subject to detours and delays due to road closures for the event.

Travel Tips

• Those arriving in DC via Union Station (Amtrak, MARC or intercity bus services) should simply walk to the event rather than attempting to transfer to Metro's Red Line.
• Avoid transfers. Pick a destination station on the same line as where you started. When traveling to the March consider L'Enfant Plaza.
• Metro Transit Police continuously patrol stations and trains, both in uniform and in plain clothes.
  Please note that items carried onto the Metro system may be subject to random security screening by uniformed Transit Police officers.
• Tampering with or disabling Metro equipment, such as escalators, elevators, train doors or emergency equipment, is unlawful and may result in arrest.
• In the event of an emergency, intercoms are located on station platforms and aboard trains. Follow the direction of police officers and Metro personnel, and listen for public address announcements.